BREAKOUT games in the UAAP Season 85 men's and women's basketball tournaments were the catalysts to much-needed wins in the past week.
After a winless campaign last season, UE now holds a 3-2 card - with back-to-back wins to boot - with Luis Villegas grabbing a share of the spotlight.
See Reborn UE Red Warriors post rare back-to-back wins, extend UST misery
Against La Salle and University of Santo Tomas, Villegas averaged 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals.
Meanwhile, another rookie in Ateneo's Kacey Dela Rosa also turned heads with 30 markers on 10-of-13 shooting, 20 boards, and seven blocks in the Blue Eagles' 67-61 victory over University of the Philippines.
Behind their breakout games, Villegas and Dela Rosa were voted Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Players of the Week presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
"It's not an easy league to play (in). Every team is competitive and the physicality is real. It's a little bit difficult, but I feel like it's a better transition. For sure, this is a tough league," said Villegas.
Ateneo head coach LA Mumar is optimistic he'll see more big performances from De la Rosa and Jhazmin Joson.
"I'm very confident with their talent. I think they're such a deadly 1-2 combo. It gives us a chance every game to win," he added.
Villegas was picked over UP's Carl Tamayo, NU's Steve Nash Enriquez, and La Salle's Schonny Winston, while Dela Rosa won the vote over Joson and NU's Mikka Cacho for the award also backed by MNL Kingpin, Tinapayan Festival, and Jockey.
It is the fourth time in four years that the print and online writers covering the league gave the citation to two players.
The first was NU's Ria Nabalan and Ateneo's Ange Kouame in Oct. 2018 followed by UST's CJ Cansino and Adamson's Mar Prado in Oct. 2019. The group also handed out Co-Players of the Week honors in the NCAA with San Beda's Robert Bolick and Letran's Bong Quinto in Aug. 2018.
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