BELLA Belen had an unusual off-night in terms of scoring, managing just two points to go with nine receptions and five digs as National University secured its ninth victory over Ateneo on Wednesday.
The MVP frontrunner attributed her attacking struggles to lingering menstrual-induced back pain that she had experienced during training a few days prior.
Belen blames self
Belen admitted fault for not informing her team about the persistent physical discomfort until matchday, explaining that she typically refrains from stepping back from training and matches unless the pain becomes unbearable.
"Nag-start po kasi siya nu’ng nagkaroon ako (menstruation) so ‘yung back pain. Binalewala ko siya that time kasi akala ko, ‘di ba ‘pag sa babae, ‘pag meron ka, normal ‘yung back pain. So nu’ng nawala na ‘yung mens ko, natapos na, nag-stay lang ‘yung back pain at hindi siya nawala,” she said.
Belen lends hand in floor defense
Despite her scoring difficulties, Belen still made significant contributions to the Lady Bulldogs, particularly in floor defense, an aspect of her game she has been actively refining in preparation for NU's playoff run.
"‘Yung sa performance ko po, may pain sa likod ko. Pero sa game ko kanina, naisip ko kasing hindi dapat rason kung may masakit man sa’kin or what. Dapat makaisip ako ng paraan kung saan ko kayang mag-contribute kung ‘di ko man kayang gumawa sa atake,” Belen said.
"I think du’n ako babawi sa defense side kasi inisip ko lang kanina, ano bang kaya kong i-contribute sa team bukod dun sa atake na hindi ko nga magawa kanina."
While Belen's scoring may have faltered, her teammates remained steadfast in their support, especially as the competition for top spots intensified with the Final Four on the horizon.
Belen said they support each other as a team.
“Katulad nung kanina sa game, alam nila na nahihirapan ako dun sa attack part. Lagi lang sinasabi lalo na ni ate Aly (Solomon) na ‘Kaya mo ‘yan, Belle. Naka-support lang kami dito.’ Sina Vangie (Alinsug) ganun din, sina Camila (Lamina),” she said.
"Nu’ng nakita ko na maganda ‘yung performance ng bawat isa sa’min lalo na si ate Aly, talagang kahit hindi man magandan ‘yung performance ko, for me maganda na ring tulong sa team kasi nakikita ko na umaangat talaga ‘yung bawat isa sa’min lalo na’t malapit nang matapos ‘yung elimination round."
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