Mario Wuysang. PBA IMAGES
Veteran of numerous international wars, Mario Wuysang knows that at this stage of his career, opponents are looking at him as Indonesia’s undeniable marked man, especially in the 2017 Seaba Championship.
That was the case again on Sunday, when the Thailand defense zeroed in on the 38-year-old guard as Indonesia played catchup all game long.
Wuysang struggled from the field shooting just 2-of-9, but in the end, it was his experience that got him through.
The 5-foot-10 guard banked on his experience in nailing the go-ahead jumper, 60-59, with 11.1 seconds to spare that kept Indonesia unbeaten in three games.
“I know some of the teams are focused on me, trying to pressure me and deny me. But it was our defense which got us back in the game, and I knew that if I just keep playing, if I get a chance to get in that flow, I’m not gonna keep missing,” he said.
But Wuysang was quick to share the spotlight with his teammates.
“It was a collective effort. We had guys knocking down shots, but it was our defense really. We switched up to zone. This is our third game and we only got nine guys. We know we’re not gonna have the legs all the way there, but we switched to zone and that was a good move,” he said.
More than anything, Wuysang said that the conquest really meant a lot as it put the Indonesians above regional rivals Thailand and Malaysia, at least for this tournament.
“It was a good feeling beating them,” he said. “It was between us and Thailand and we’re similar teams, both are undefeated. It was a big game for us.”