FOR 20 seconds, it seemed as if University of the East was finally going to claim its first win in UAAP Season 88, erasing a dry spell dating back to last year that had spanned 14 games.
With less than three minutes left in the final quarter, DJ Robles’ putback that took the 50-49 lead looked like their saving grace, especially in the continued absences of head coach Chris Gavina and team captain Wello Lingolingo due to suspensions.
Unfortunately, it still wasn’t to be, as Adamson went on a 7-3 finishing kick, upping its record to an even 4-4 and extending its streak to three.
The Red Warriors, on the other hand? Still winless through eight games - and worse, now on the brink of elimination.
READ: Adamson stretches streak to three in a row at UE's expense
Though John Abate led the losing effort with 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, his errors in the endgame impacted their chances to gain ground on the Soaring Falcons.
As he told SPIN.ph, “It definitely hurts a lot, especially when I’m leading the team in mistakes. I really take responsibility for that in that game, I had too many turnovers, and there's a couple defensive lapses, especially when the game was close.”
Abate has been playing on a higher gear lately, given the red-and-white doesn't have its streaky shooter in Lingolingo.
Abante, Abate!
Yes, the Fil-Am point guard has been keen on keeping them afloat, but he's also the first to admit Lingolingo and Gavina’s absences have taken their toll.
“Definitely hurts, but I’ll definitely do my best to kind of replicate what he does because he’s a hell of a player. I definitely have to carry that responsibility on my shoulders, but it's just not me, you know, it's kind of spread it out through the team,” he said.
Now in a virtual must-win situation from here on out, UE is eagerly looking forward to Gavina's return after one more game, and Lingolingo, two.
In the mandatory rest time that Lingolingo got, the skipper has been maximizing his health and keeping chemistry alive, so Abate said.
Meanwhile, deputy RJ Argamino has been stepping up in lieu of Gavina, but even Abate, one of the players Gavina has been the hardest on, reiterates his fiery mentor's presence is sorely needed in-game
“He’s usually barking at me or getting on me, yelling at me. But he’s very present in practice, and the assistant head coach and the other coaches really stepped up into his role as well,” he said.
“But everyone’s adjusting and stepping up to the role that they need to. Definitely hurts, but, you know, like I said kanina, we're adapting to the situation.”
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