Colegio de San Juan de Letran finally broke through in NCAA Season 101, notching its first win after three games with an 84-80 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College on Saturday — thanks in large part to rookie guard Titing Manalili.
The Cebuano standout delivered an all-around performance with 12 points, 13 assists, six rebounds, and four steals, steering the Knights to end their early-season slump.
“Nung juniors ako, matalo man ako talagang isa o dalawang beses lang,” said Manalili, who only suffered four losses during his high school stint with the Letran Squires.
“‘Di na namin alam paano manalo eh, so magandang nakuha namin ‘to para makakuha kami ng kumpyansa,” he added.
Manalili, who played under current Letran coach Allen Ricardo and won back-to-back junior titles — including a Finals MVP honor in Season 99 — admitted that the team’s slow start was tough to swallow.
“Sinabi ko sa kanila na talagang ‘hard loser’ ako, so sana makuha rin nila ‘yung attitude na ‘yun,” he said. “Pero pinag-uusapan namin yun gabi-gabi, na nakakapagod na rin matalo. So sana sa next games, ituloy-tuloy na naming manalo.”
With renewed confidence, Letran hopes to carry the momentum as it continues its NCAA campaign.