FILE Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
J-Jay Alejandro on Wednesday walked out of Mall of Asia Arena a different man compared to when he left Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
National University’s veteran wingman was frustrated, to say the least, at his teammates after their 90-77 loss to University of the East last Saturday in UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament.
And although the Bulldogs lost again, this time to league leader Ateneo 85-72, Alejandro was spritely and couldn’t help but applaud his teammates’ efforts.
“I’m still okay, and we fought earlier,” said Alejandro. “It just so happens that we lost by the breaks of the game, those went to Ateneo. But I’m still proud of my teammates because I saw that they really fought hard.”
The Bulldogs were in the game until the fourth quarter, when they trailed the Blue Eagles 67-65, when Ateneo managed to outscore them 18-7 in the final period.
And although there was a huge disparity between the two teams in the fourth, NU was able to prevent Ateneo’s inside scoring.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Blue Eagles converted 11 of their three-point attempts.
Still, Alejandro doesn’t care much for the numbers and instead would look at the intangibles.
“For me as long as I see them fighting, not giving up that is fine with me,” said Alejandro.
And even with NU staying at the sixth seed with a 3-6 record, Alejandro said there’s no panic in the team and that they can still turn their fortunes around in their remaining five games.
“There’s no panic, and we have to work about it,” said Alejandro who finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. “As long as we play this kind of game we have a chance.”