UE Red Warriors’ Precious Momowei during a UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game against Ateneo Blue Eagles. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
University of the East (UE) was under the radar for the entire UAAP preseason up until two games into the Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
Not anymore.
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After back-to-back lopsided losses to University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines to start the season, it would seem a wonder for everyone where the Red Warriors are drawing fuel for their sudden change of pace.
Not Jack Santiago.
“Precious [Momowei], who we know is the heart and soul of the team,” the UE coach told a pair of reporters previously.
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And boy, did Momowei show why.
He played nonstop for 40 minutes to power UE past Ateneo on late Wednesday night, 69-62. The reedy center refused to buckle under the weight of a 10-point deficit to the Blue Eagles and instead dropped 18 points and 15 rebounds to spearhead the comeback win.
That was the fourth straight win for UE as it continues to ride a run highlighted by a shock victory over defending champion La Salle and Wednesday’s triumph over Ateneo, the Warriors’ first against the Eagles since Season 78.
New dawn, anyone?
“We have all had this belief ever since the start of this season. Our No. 1 goal is making the Final Four. Whatever it takes. We just have to be consistent and play as a team,” Momowei, who credited his teammates’ contributions, said as UE continues to take the league by storm.
Soul evident
“We had a good win, but I feel like at the end of the day, this is a team sport. We are all like one big family. Ethan [Galang] was injured, so everyone tonight stepped up. I feel like that’s what we did tonight. I’m just happy that we got the win at the end of the day,” he said.
Momowei’s soul has been evident so far for the Warriors. He may not always have been a scoring threat but his presence is consistently felt in pulling loose balls, win or lose. He hasn’t finished a game with single-digit rebounds.
The Nigerian big man means business as he helps UE achieve its goal of returning to the Final Four this season—“whatever it takes.”
“This is my job. This is what I do for a living, so I am ready to play 100 minutes, 40 minutes. I’m just ready to die out there. This is what I signed up for, so yeah, I’m ready for the challenge, whatever it takes,” he said.
The next 40 minutes will be crucial again as UE tests its newfound mettle against another squad that has its eyes on a Final Four seat in Adamson to wrap up its first-round assignments.
“Our last few games are very crucial for us, even for the other teams because aside from having a good standing … I consider this [a chance to improve] our positioning,” Santiago said. “As much as possible we want to break away already.”
“[We’ll] enjoy the victory [on Wednesday night] but tomorrow we go back to reality. Knowing [the Soaring Falcons], they played well their past few games, they have a long rest so for sure, they’re gonna prepare for us this coming Sunday. So we will just do our jobs and hopefully also get one over Adamson,” Santiago added.
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