AFTER La Salle made history by halting NU's historic 108-game winning streak last November, the Lady Bulldogs used the minor setback as a moment to press the refresh button.
Head coach Aris Dimaunahan admitted this after his side swept the Lady Archers in the UAAP Season 85 basketball finals on Wednesday, exacting sweet revenge against them.
Aris Dimaunahan on using rare loss as motivation
"That loss, maniwala kayo sa hindi, pero kinda I took that as a blessing in disguise. Kasi it happened in eliminations, so it gave us time to really look ourselves in the mirror and tell ourselves we can lose this game," said Dimaunahan.
"The character of this team, pagka may hindi magandang nangyari, is how we bounce back and I thought after that loss sa La Salle in that second round, it gave us the way para maging mas magaling na players as a team and individually," he added.
According to the head coach, the team turned up the heat in practice after the rare loss, seeing how his third stringers claimed wins over the starters during scrimmage.
One of the key beneficiaries of the rejuvenated NU team was Finals MVP Tin Cayabyab, who led the team in scoring through the championship series.
The rookie said that the loss galvanized the team and decided for themselves that enough was enough.
"Isa sa hindi ko makakalimutan na nangyari sa amin this season is 'yung natalo kami against La Salle. Kumbaga, doon kami mas nagtulungan para makuha 'tong championship namin, and mas naging together kami after naming matalo," remarked Cayabyab, who had 18 points in the title clincher.
"Ang dami naming realizations kung ano 'yung mga dapat naming gawin. And 'yun nga, sobrang laki din ng tulong ng mga coaches namin, kasi kahit ganoon 'yung nangyari, hindi nila kami pinabayaan."
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