Don’t count out these underdogs just yet.
University of the East and Ateneo made themselves as Final Four contenders in the UAAP Season 87 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, respectively, as an eventful preliminaries first round came to a close.
Leading the way in their playoff pursuits are Wello Lingolingo and reigning league MVP Kacey dela Rosa, who were hailed as the Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Players of the Week backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, with Discovery Suites and World Balance as minor sponsors for the period of October 2 to 6.
The Red Warriors standout hit stellar averages of 11.5 points on 67 percent field-goal shooting and an identical 67 percent from three, with 3.5 boards and 3.0 steals in back-to-back victories to grab solo third place at the end of Round 1.
Lingolingo bested his teammate Precious Momowei, La Salle duo Kevin Quiambao and Joshua David, UST’s Mo Tounkara and NU’s Kenshin Padrones for the weekly plum.
Dela Rosa proved to be a bona fide double-double machine by dropping 19 points and 13 rebounds in a masterful 90-62 win over UE before her 21 markers and 13 boards fell ever so short in a narrow 58-66 loss to NU.
Katipunan’s 6-foot-4 fortress, who leads the women’s basketball MVP race after Round 1, registered her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season to keep her 4-3 Ateneo side on track for a third straight Final Four appearance.
Hence, it was business as usual this week for an in-form Dela Rosa who normed 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
