TYLER Tio's explosive third quarter is just a by-product of him benefitting from the confidence of his teammates and his trust in the system.
Tyler Tio on breakout performance
It is, by no means, a statement of sorts especially facing against a shooter as lethal as RJ Abarrientos.
The senior guard made it clear that his sweet-shooting outing in Ateneo's 79-70 win over Far Eastern University is just a bonus as defense was the primary focus of the Blue Eagles' backcourt.
"I wouldn't say a challenge with my shot, but it's defintely a challenge. Everyone knows what RJ can do so the guards knew we had to step up our game against him, and not just him but L-Jay [Gonzales] and Royce [Alforque] as well," he said.
"We knew that they're gonna be a tough challenge for us, so we had to step up most especially defensively and in offense, we just have to run the system and who gets the shots, so be it."
Tio turned out to be the beneficiary of those passes as he lit up for 17 points in the third quarter as he shot 4-of-6 from distance, as well as four rebounds and two assists to guide the Blue Eagles to their second win in UAAP Season 84.
For the 5-foot-11 gunner, this blazing shooting night is just the confidence boost he badly needed after struggling to find his range all preseason long and even going 1-of-7 from beyond the arc in Ateneo's 90-81 win over University of the Philippines last Saturday.
"I'm just happy that my shots finally went in and I'm thankful for my teammates for believing in me," he said. Even though I struggled in the past in our first game and our tuneup games, they still kept telling me to shoot my shot and fortunately today, it went in."
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