REY Suerte was happy to have once again live up to his surname.
And what better time for him to do that after turning 25 on Friday than another scintillating performance the day after, steering University of the East to a big 80-74 win over Adamson.
"Araw ko eh. Sinwerte ulit," he said.
The Monkayo, Compostela Valley native shot the lights out with his 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as he formed a potent partnership with Alex Diakhite, who tallied a career-best 29 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the victory.
It was the Red Warriors' second straight win to hike their record to 3-5, and for Suerte, he believes that his side is slowly getting their bearings together to start the second round.
"I guess yung momentum, unti-unting napapasaamin na. We need to grab it na lang. Every game is our last game at yun yung iniisip namin sa team," he said after his side suddenly improved from their horrifying 1-5 card.
It also helps that Suerte thrives on proving people wrong as he aims to help UE silence a lot of naysayers after its tough showing in the first round.
"Ginagawa naming motivation yun para tumaas yung morale namin," the 6-foot-3 swingman said. "Kung magpapaapekto kami sa mga sinasabi ng mga tao, bababa lang yung morale namin. Kaya yung mga yun, pasok sa tenga, labas sa kabilang tenga."
With UE riding on a high after these past two conquests, Suerte only has one thing in mind as the Red Warriors continue this campaign: "Sana magtuluy-tuloy pa yung mga panalo namin."
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