UE Red Warriors’ Precious Momowei during a UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game against Ateneo Blue Eagles. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
MANILA, Philippines — Precious Momowei doesn’t mind playing the entire 40 minutes for the University of the East Red Warriors as they look to end a 15-year Final Four absence in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
Momowei didn’t have a minute of rest on Wednesday, but dominated with 18 points on 50-percent shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds to extend the Red Warriors’ streak to four with a come-from-behind 69-62 win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
“This is my job. This is what I do for a living, so I am ready to play 100 minutes, 40 minutes. I’m just ready to die out there. This is what signed up for. I’m ready for the challenge, whatever it takes,” said Momowei, who is averaging 32 minutes per game for UE.
READ: UAAP: UE stays red hot, beats Ateneo for first time in 9 years
That’s the plan of UE coach Jack Santiago for the star foreign student-athlete, who is in tiptop shape this season and has displayed his readiness to play a marathon.
“Precious, he’s in good shape. For me as a coach, I know that he can play for 40 minutes but with the previous games, he was in foul trouble,” said Santiago in Filipino. “We changed our defense from man to zone because we don’t want him to get tired.”
UE ended a nine-year losing streak to Ateneo, beating the Tab Baldwin-coached team for the first time since the second round of Season 78 last November 2015.
The Red Warriors, who lost their first two games, is on their longest winning streak since 2014 when Roi Sumang and Charles Mammie forced a playoff for fourth seed but eventually lost to eventual champion National University in Season 77.
READ: Precious Momowei emotional after UE stunner over La Salle
With UE at 4-2 in solo third place, Momowei credited the whole team for working together and staying on the same page to bring back UE to the post-elimination since 2009.
“I feel like the end of the day, this is a team sport. We are all like one big family. Ethan [Galang] was injured, so everyone out tonight stepped up. I feel like that’s what we did tonight. I’m just happy that we got the win at the end of the day,” the Nigerian center said.
As UE continues to surge, Momowei and the Red Warriors are eager to finish the first round strong against Adamson on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena, pushing harder for their long overdue Final Four return.
“We have all this belief ever since the start of this season. Our number one goal is making the Final Four. Whatever it takes. We just have to be consistent and play as a team,” he said.