UE finally develops winning mentality, with Wello Lingolingo enforcing that thought as the Red Warriors kept their win streak alive in UAAP Season 87.
Nothing was going to dampen Wello Lingolingo’s belief that the UE Red Warriors were going to come out victorious against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in their final first round game of UAAP Season 87.
Despite going down by as many as 10 in the second half, then trailing by one in the dying seconds of the match, Lingolingo kept his faith strong Sunday night as he drilled the thrilling game-winner at the buzzer, extending UE’s historic win streak to five, 63-62.
[Related: Wello Lingolingo sinks buzzer-beater as UE escapes Adamson for 5th-straight win]
After years of mediocrity in UE men’s hoops, Lingolingo and his teammates have now developed a belief that anything is possible for the Red Warriors.
“Kini-keep namin yung winning mentality kahit ano mangyari, so yun nga sinasabi ni coach palagi one game at a time so parang ayaw namin talaga magpatalo,” Lingolingo said.
“[Yun] yung sinasabi kong winning mentality kahit ano mangyari.”
In front of a roaring UE crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, Lingolingo did not give up on the final play as UE trailed, 61-62, against the Soaring Falcons. Even as Nico Mulingtapang got the first look at the potential game winner, the third-year player continued to play the possession.
It was a fortunate development for UE as Mulingtapang botched the shot and the rebound landed firmly in Lingolingo’s hands. With little to no time left, Lingolingo pulled up and banked in the game-winning basket.
For Lingolingo, there was no other thought besides wanting to win. When he saw that time was about to expire, he couldn’t afford to hesitate.
“Habang di pa tapos yung oras patuloy pa rin sa paglalaro, yun lang yung mentality ko,” said Lingolingo.
“Nung na-grab ko yung bola naisip ko na konting-konti na lang yung oras so tine-take ko na yun as an opportunity to get that shot,” he added.
His heroics came even after head coach Jack Santiago benched him after key baskets in the fourth quarter.
But understanding what his coach had in mind, there was no problem for Lingolingo.
“Naiintindihan ko si coach kasi yun yung palaging ginagawa namin parang nire-reserve niya yung stamina ko para sa patapos na laro kagaya nung nangyari kanina binabalik naman niya ako pag naka-recover na ako sa stamina ko,” he said.
As it stands, Lingolingo and the Red Warriors will be a top-three team in round 1 with a 5-2 slate.