Tigers long for Tounkara's inside presence in loss to Ateneo
MANILA, Philippines — University of Santo Tomas Growling Tiger Christian Manaytay said that he felt the absence of foreign student-athlete Mo Tounkara in their 67-64 home-court loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their UAAP Season 87 clash last Saturday, October 19, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Tounkara served a one-game suspension against Ateneo after incurring two technical fouls against the La Salle Green Archers last week.
Manaytay, after their loss against the Katipunan-based squad, underscored the impact of Tounkara’s absence, which the Eagles took advantage of through the dribble-drive motion.
“Isang huge factor yung presence ng bigs namin. When we have Mo Tounkara, we have more options, so for Ateneo they were able to dribble-drive and they were able to attack going to the basket all the time, so they were drawing then pagkapasa nila nakakakuha sila ng open shots. That’s what they do, so kailangan talaga namin si Mo,” Manaytay told Philstar.com.
As Tounkara’s suspension led to a loss, Manaytay emphasized the importance of working harder to reach their primary goal of making the semifinals this season.
“We have to push ourselves. Kailangan namin mag grind. Hindi na dapat kami matalo because we are aiming the Final Four,” he said.
The big man called for a sense of urgency from the team to win all their remaining four games of the elimination round to earn a spot in the Final Four.
“Well, all the upcoming games are a must-win, and kailangan din namin manalo sa mga ganung situation, so we have to prepare more for our game next week on Sunday,” Manaytay added.
Manaytay contributed 11 points, while shooting 5-of-10 from the field to go with three boards.
The Tigers will aim to end their three-game loss streak when they face the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Sunday, October 27, at the Mall of Asia Arena. — Brent Sagre, intern
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