By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Kevin Quiambao posted a triple-double as the De La Salle University Green Archers scored an 88-78 victory over the National University (NU) Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Saturday night, October 28.
The Muntinlupa City-native Quiambao dished out several nifty passes to end up with 14 assists on top of his 17 points and 11 rebounds to become the first UAAP player to record a triple-double performance in five years.
According to Quiambao, he is thankful to his teammates for achieving the rare feat, as he also credited the system of Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson for allowing him to play “point center.”
“Siguro dahil din sa system eh, ‘yung flow ng system namin, kaya nagkakaroon ng assists,” Quiambao, the frontrunner for the UAAP Season 86 Most Valuable Player award, said.
“On being the first player to have a triple-double in five years, sobrang sarap na ma-surpass ‘yun. Pero credit din sa teammates, hindi ako makaka-14 assists kung hindi nila na-shoot ‘yun,” he added.
For his part, Green Archers assistant coach Gian Nazario said the coaching staff was not surprised by Quiambao’s efficient passing, as he was practicing it during the team training.
“It is not surprising na nagagawa niya ‘yun [assists] sa games, kasi ginagawa niya rin naman ang mga ‘yun sa practices,” Nazario, who spoke to the media on behalf of Robinson, said.
“I think it is because of the work Kevin puts in. Kahit pre-game or post-game, Kevin works out. It is also because of the trust he has in his teammates, and his teammates trust in him,” he added.
With the victory, the Green Archers moved up to third place in the standings with a 6-3 win-loss slate, while the shorthanded Bulldogs dropped to second place with a 7-2 record.
Meanwhile, the University of the East Red Warriors (3-6) snapped its five-game losing skid after scoring an 86-73 victory over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.
Precious Momowei and Abdul Sawat led the Red Warriors with 17 points./ASC, WDJ