MANILA, Philippines - Roi Sumang proved time and again that he can step up and carry the cudgels for University of the East when the need arises.
Coach Boycie Zamar didn’t even have to ask him to, he’ll just take the cue and deliver.
“Sabi ni coach kung sino raw ang may pinakamalaking puso. So ako na naman kinuha ko na naman ulit (Coach said the one with the heart should get the leather and so I did),†said the fearless 5-foot-7 guard.
He showed it by hitting the game-winning layup for the Red Warriors in the clutch against the University of Sto. Tomas Tigers last Thursday, enough to be the hands-down recipient of the ACCEL 3XVI UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week award.
Sumang registered a double-double performance with 20 points and 10 assists in powering UE to 68-67 thriller over the Tigers.
He scored 12 of his output in the fourth quarter, the biggest of which was his driving layup over two defenders and under the outstretched arm of UST’s Cameroonian center Karim Abdul with just 11 ticks in the payoff period.
“Ang nangyari doon si Roi na naman ulit (Roi bailed us out once more). It’s not just only the heart but also the head. So H and H. Head and heart. He had that in this game,†Zamar said of his ward, who in the first round also sank a four-point play dagger against the National U Bulldogs in the same time-winding-down scenario.
Sumang opened the fourth with eight straight points in UE’s blistering 12-0 run that put the Red Warriors on top, 59-58, with five minutes to play. UST again took the lead, 67-64, with 2:43 left before Sumang cut their deficit to one with an all-the-way layup coming off the Tigers’ broken play.
A costly inbound turnover by UST gave the Red Warriors enough room to capitalize. After Zamar called time, Sumang took the ball and blew past his primary defender Ed Daquioag, the help defense of Kevin Ferrer, before scooping his shot off Abul.
The Red Warriors’ fourth consecutive win spiked UE’s win-loss record to 5-3 for solo third spot.
Sumang edged the likes of Cameroonian Emmanuel Mbe of National U Bulldogs, Ateneo’s Kiefer Ravena, and La Salle’s Jason Perkins and Almond Vosotros for the weekly citation presented by Gatorade and given by a group of sports scribes from the country’s leading broadsheets, tabloids and online publications.