Talk about a confidence-boosting win.
Though playing coach Manny Pacquiao fell short in his fight against Floyd Mayweather Sunday, Kia made sure that the eight-division world champion will have some good news back home as the Carnival turned back San Miguel, 83-78, to open their Governors’ Cup campaign on a winning note.
And two key figures in the big win were their imports Hamady N’Diaye and Jet Chang.
The Senegalese big man was stellar in his first game with his 21 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. He did that despite being dehydrated and vomiting during halftime and in the post-game.
But N’Diaye assured the Kia fans that he’s alright.
“The flight, the heat, I’m not used to it. But I’m ok. It was nice to be back on the court,” he said, while also baring that this was his first game in 2015 after nursing an elbow injury. “I’m glad to help the team win. Being here for three days, getting used to the team and knowing everybody and for them to trust me enough to let me be with the team, I appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese gunner also had his moments in the victory, going for 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. He also recorded three steals, two rebounds, and two assists.
However, Chang is still not satisfied with his performance.
“I made a lot of mistakes because I haven’t played for so long and I only practiced for a week. My rhythm and my pace, I still have to get it. I have to get it the next time,” he said. “I just want to try to be aggressive all the time, just try to help the team and do what the coach wants me to do.”
Despite the long layoff for the reinforcements, both N’Diaye and Chang believes that the big win over San Miguel is just a step in the right direction for Kia.
“It wasn’t just me. Everyone really stepped up. The team really helped me out. It’s amazing to see us fitting in just three days together,” said the 7-foot N’Diaye.
Chang added, “It was a win for everybody. Everybody can play and ready to play and everybody was suited to the team. We played hard and we played well, so it’s nice.”
The two imports have expressed their intentions of helping Kia take the next step.
“Me and Jet, we both have to step up and do things and show example for the team offensively and defensively,” said N’Diaye. “Whatever we show is what the team will carry out. No matter what happens, we just have to keep our head up, keep on fighting.”
Chang, for his part, has set his goals for the Carnival this conference.
“We want to go as far as we can. Everybody has one goal and everybody wants it. Hopefully, we can get a championship,” he said. (RL)
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