UE’s Galang heats up just in time in breakthrough win vs FEU

MANILA, Philippines – Struggling the whole game against the Eastern University Tamaraws Wednesday, Ethan Galang hit the shots when the University of the East Red Warriors needed it most. 

The Red Warriors finally tallied a win in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament at the expense of the Tamaraws, 56-51. 

The Recto-based squad trailed by as much as 10 points, before Galang took over in the final two minutes and scored eight points to grab the victory. 

UE was down three, 48-51, after a miss by the Tamaraws. Galang, then, hit a cold-blooded 3-pointer to tie it up with 1:16 remaining. 

On the other end, FEU had a crucial turnover. The Red Warriors once again went to Galang, who pulled up from the same left wing and drilled the go-ahead bucket for the 54-51 lead with 25.0 seconds remaining. 

Jorick Bautista had chances to tie it up, but the Morayta-based sharpshooter could not find the basket. 

A pair of free throws by Galang iced the game up. 

After the game, the wing said that he was unfazed by his early struggles from the field. 

“In that last minute, [I told myself] to keep shooting. Keep my head up, whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. Just keep shooting,” Galang told reporters. 

“As soon I saw the ball go in, I just felt like ‘Okay, now I’m in my groove.’ My confidence is just high at that point. I feel like I can shoot anything I want, but I’m gonna do that because coach [Jack Santiago] will get mad,” he added. 

Seeing the game-tying triple fall gave him the much-needed confidence boost to complete the comeback, he stressed. 

“My first make really gonna get me going. I think as a shooter, I only speak for myself but I think as soon as you get the ball go in, it really gonna push your confidence really high.” 

Before his two 3-pointers in the endgame, Galang missed all of his four prior attempts from deep. 

Prior to Wednesday’s win, the Red Warriors absorbed double-digit losses against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers and the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. 

They also prevented FEU coach Sean Chambers from tallying his first win in the UAAP. 

UE will try to make it two in a row as they face the La Salle Green Archers on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.