Pasaol ready for ‘unli rice’ after torching UST

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Alvin Pasaol sat down on his padded chair inside the pressroom of Mall of Asia Arena with sweat dripping from his shoulders as he wiped off his wet forehead.

The chunky forward just put up a game-high 32 points days after dropping 49 to pace the Red Warriors to their 96-91 win over hapless University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament.

And with a performance to remember, since this came in UE’s lone win in the first round, Pasaol got the green light to indulge on something his coach Derrick Pumaren stopped him from enjoying since the start of the tournament.

READ: Alvin unleashed: After scoring 49, Pasaol hopes for 50 next time

“Manong [Pumaren] gave me a reward today and that is I get to eat an unli [unlimited] rice meal,” said Pasaol in Filipino Saturday. “He won’t stop me now and he really didn’t allow to eat that much because I bulk up easily.”

Pasaol’s walking, and playing, weight usually dances between 80 and 90 kilograms but the high-scoring forward doesn’t mind the heft he carries during games.

READ: Mbala lauds Pasaol for record-setting career game

“I’m really comfortable with my body because I’m a stretch four and I can also bang underneath,” said Pasaol who averaged 40.5 points and 10 rebounds in his past two games.

And of the 32 points Pasaol scored against UST, none were bigger than the two that came with only 22.7 seconds left when he gave UE a 94-91 lead en route to the win.