EMOTIONS got the best of Mark Nonoy in his first game against his old school University of Santo Tomas.
The La Carlota, Negros Occidental native did not deny that he wanted so bad to get this win that it led to his own detriment.
"Medyo gigil ako kasi syempre ayaw ko magpatalo sa former team ko. Medyo nagkalat lang. Gigil talaga eh," said the 5-foot-8 playmaker who won the Rookie of the Year honors while with the Tigers in 2019.
Scratching his head in disbelief, it was Nonoy's worst performance of the season as he only got a pedestrian mark of three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, to go with three rebounds and one assist while also committing three turnovers.
He was largely a non-factor in La Salle's 75-66 win on Tuesday and was benched for the majority of the fourth quarter.
Derick Pumaren's Archers hold a share of second at 4-1.
Those were a far cry from Nonoy's numbers of 14.0 points (team-best), 3.0 boards, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in his first three games for the green-and-white.
But the Green Archers still proved too had his back as Justine Baltazar continued to be the team's north star with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists with senior Kurt Lojera and rookie Emman Galman also having standout games.
Despite the forgettable showing in this duel, Nonoy is taking this experience as a valuable learning as he aims to fare better in the coming games, as well as in the second round against UST.
"Sabi lang ni coach, wag lang mang-gigil at gawin lang yung pinapagawa sa akin." he said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph