MANILA, Philippines — When La Salle’s Mike Phillips got dunked on by UE’s Precious Momowei at the 4:39 mark of the second frame in their UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, he knew he just have to stay patient for his vengeance.
Heeding to the call of Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson and assistant Gian Nazario, Phillips didn’t go out of his way to get back at Momowei but instead still played under La Salle’s system.
“Every time I go against that guy, he’s such an energy guy. I think I can say that he’s UE’s heart and soul. Of course, when he made that play [dunk on me], I really felt the UE crowd,” shared Phillips.
“In those moments, coach Gian and coach Topex instructed me like: ‘don’t retaliate right away, don’t veer away from the system just because you want to get back at him.”
Choosing to be patient and following his coaches’ orders bode well for Phillips, who got back at Momowei in the third canto.
Phillips dove in a pick a roll play with Lian Ramiro and rose for a two-handed jump. Momowei tried to recover and challenged Phillips but it was too late as the latter smashed the rim for his vengeance at the 4:07 mark.
“I really just tried to stay on the path. We knew UE would make big plays like that; they were going to make those hand-in-the-face threes. For me, I was just trying to do my best, stay steady, and focus on the next play.”
As the dust settled, the 6-foot-8 Phillips got the last laugh on the 6-foot-10 Momowei as he pumped 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in 28 minutes and 35 seconds of action. More importantly, Phillips’s La Salle won, 77-68.
On the other hand, Momowei racked up 21 points, nine boards, two steals, and two blocks as he played all but 17 seconds in the 40-minute game.
Phillips said facing another 6-foot-10 cager in UP’s Quentin Millora-Brown (QMB) last timeout helped prepare him in battling Momowei.
“I was grateful for the matchup with QMB. I think that really helped me prepare for another monster like Momowei. I studied his game more and, more than his skill, he really has that grind mindset,” said Phillips.
“You could see one game, he played 40 minutes in one game and is averaging 30 minutes. As a big, he’s always active, that takes a lot out of a player. Coming into the game, I had a lot of respect for him, and I knew I needed to bring my A-game to really battle with him.”
Phillips sure did relish his battle against Momowei.
“Shoutout to him. Even in the heated moments when we were going back and forth, he was like, ‘Hey, keep going, keep going,’ and ‘you got me, I got you back.’ More than the game, it’s just the camaraderie from an energetic guy like him. He really gives me energy as well.”
