Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
With a championship on the line, anyone is more than ready to lay everything on the table.
And for Matt Nieto, he’s even willing to risk it all even his face.
Nieto took an inadvertent elbow from Ben Mbala just above his right eye with 36.6 seconds left in the second quarter of Game 1 between Ateneo and La Salle in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball Finals on Saturday.
READ: Matt Nieto bloodied after collision with Ben Mbala
“I was just anticipating his spin, and I think he’s just too tall for me so his elbow was smack in front of my face,” said Nieto of the 6-foot-8 Mbala
Mbala’s hit left Nieto bloodied, disoriented, and downright pissed, as he went to the Blue Eagles’ locker room at Mall of Asia Arena a few minutes before his teammates did.
Nieto was able to start the second half and he eventually finished with 11 points.
“Even though I was down, even though they did call the charging on me, I just wanted to let everyone know that I was going to sacrifice anything, even my face for that possession,” said Nieto, who added that Mbala did not apologize to him after the game.
READ: Mbala says ‘I did not intend to hit or hurt’ Nieto
“No, he didn’t, although the coaching staff did,” said Nieto. “Coach Aldin [Ayo] and Prince [Rivero] asked me how I was and asked if it needed stitches.”