UE Red Warriors’ Wello Lingolingo and Precious Momowei celebrate after a win over Adamson Falcons in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
tMANILA, Philippines—For Precious Momowei, Wello Lingolingo not only saved the UE Red Warriors as a whole with his buzzer-beating heroics but he also bailed out the Nigerian big man.
After UE’s 63-62 win over the Soaring Falcons in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament made possible by Lingolingo’s game winner at the horn, Momowei expressed his gratitude for the hero.
SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 basketball
“He saved my ass out there,” said Momowei in jest.
“I think I had like seven or six missed free throws so I’m just happy we got the win at the end of the day. Thank you [Wello].”
But despite his stats from the free throw line that could’ve made a world of difference for UE, Momowei still turned in a commendable double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Wello Lingolingo, right, celebrates after hitting the game-winner at the buzzer to push UE past Adamson in UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Adamson led, 62-61, in the dying seconds of the game when Adamson guard Matthew Montebon pulled up for a triple that would’ve been the dagger.
Instead, that miss gave UE a chance to win the game.
READ: UAAP: Precious Momowei ‘ready to play 100 minutes’ for UE
Nico Mulingtapang milked the clock before misfiring on a fadeaway jumper with 4.2 seconds left.
Fortunately, Lingolingo had the rock fall to his hands and heaved up a double-clutched jump shot with time expiring to send UE to its fifth straight win.
Momowei heaved a sigh of relief.
UAAP: Wello Lingolingo nails buzzer beater to lift UE past Adamson
In the 1:05 mark of the fourth quarter, the UE foreign student-athlete soared to block Soaring Falcon counterpart OJ Ojarikre’s shot but was whistled for a foul.
Obviously heated from the verdict, Momowei was given a warning for resentment to a call.
Thankfully, Lingolingo and his band of brethren from the UE side were there to help him stay composed until the end.
“My teammates talked to me. They told me to calm down and focus on the game so that’s what I did out there. I had to calm myself out there,” he said.
Momowei and the Red Warriors finished the first round of the tourney with a 5-2 record, sufficient for a temporary spot in third place.