LOSING to Ateneo couldn't be much stronger of a wake-up call for La Salle.
In their next two games since the rivalry-day loss, the Archers trumped both UST and Adamson by an average winning margin of 16.5 points for their first win streak of UAAP Season 86.
READ: La Salle rides 23-0 third-quarter storm to get back at Adamson
La Salle head coach Topex Robinson frankly admitted how the pain of absorbing defeat to their rivals 'shook' the squad to its core.
"I think our loss to Ateneo kind of really shook us — shook us in a way that we have to work together as a team. Sabi ko nga, whatever it is that we’re going through, (okay lang) as long as same direction kami. All of these players, they’re all competitors and they all wanted to win," said Robinson.
And on the next day after the Ateneo loss, Robinson liked what he saw from his wards — shared frustration fueled by the desire to bounce back and win.
"One thing I liked about the practice after the Ateneo game, everybody was so pissed off. I said: ‘I’d rather have these guys pissed off than to be okay losing.’ That really ignited the fire within the team knowing that if we’re gonna work together as a solid group, winning will be the byproduct of that," Robinson shared.
In the Archers' third win of the season over the Falcons, it was an unassailable 23-0 run that did the damage for the Taft side. en route to a second straight victory.
But scoring aside, Robinson underscored how the team's improved defense and just their reinvigorated spirits propelled them back to winning ways.
"It’s not just the points that we scored, it’s the way we defended Adamson as a team. Trying to close them down with just 11 points was crucial to us in the third quarter," the La Salle mentor said.
"And if you’re gonna define our team, that’s pretty much enjoying each other’s company and playing for each other."
Another tough task awaits the Archers when it takes on a hungry NU Bulldogs squad on Sunday, 2 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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