The De La Salle Green Archers. Photo from UAAP Media.

MANILA — Kevin Quiambao had one of his subpar games in UAAP Season 87 when De La Salle University faced Far Eastern University on Wednesday.

The Green Archers superstar only had eight points on 2-of-17 shooting from the field, with Quiambao even sitting the majority of the fourth period of their 58-53 win against the Tamaraws.

"Kahapon pa lang sinabi ko kila Coach [Topex Robinson] na parang wala ako sa sarili ko, ‘di ko na-ibalik yung conditioning ko, nangangapa ulit ako," said KQ, who, aside from his basketball duties, also is coming off the baptism of his son over the past weekend. 

"Nasa phase kami na dine-deload naming lahat ng load na tinrabaho namin the last few weeks, and this coming week, hinahayaan naming pahinga lang muna, iwas injury, kaya yung break sa amin, crucial din yun sa akin," he continued. 

READ: Mike Phillips tows La Salle past upset-seeking FEU

La Salle head coach Topex Robinson also vouched for this, saying that it was Quiambao himself who asked to sit out most of the fourth quarter. 

"Trust is really gonna be something that we always live by," said Robinson. "The guys that are here are playing well together. Even KQ doesn't wanna go in because he knows that he's struggling which is normal."

"He's gonna have his lows, I mean, he always has his highs, and what's important here is he also trusts the system. You never see KQ act up even if he's not part of that endgame team, which is really nice with our team," he added.

Fortunately for the reigning champions, Mike Phillips stepped up when his team needed him the most.

In the fourth quarter where both teams went on a back-and-forth affair, Phillips scored 11 of his total 17 points, and made the crucial plays down the stretch to give them enough cushion to fend off their Morayta-based counterparts. 

"These are the types of games that I really find so much joy in," said Mike, who also had 15 rebounds, five steals, two blocks, and two assists. "That was one of the most fun games I've had."

"When a lot of things are going wrong in my life, these are the types of moments that I really look forward to. I'm so grateful that God woke me up and gave me the opportunity to play," added Phillips.

And with the timely performance of Mike, Quaimbao was grateful not only for how the Filipino-American ace backed him up, but how his teammates showed resilience, especially in the end game. 

"Good thing naman na lahat kami is capable maglaro. And yung system is ine-execute pa rin namin," said the UAAP MVP. "Every game tini-treat pa rin namin as a championship game."

Also mirroring this was Robinson. DLSU Green Archers star Mike Phillips. Photo from UAAP Media."Sometimes, you're gonna be the guy, just like Mike," Robinson said. "He loves to be the supporting guy, but there'll be times that he's gonna be the one leading us. KQ's really been struggling. He's been tired, so there'll be times like that and it's just nice that guys are stepping up."

"You don't have to tell them to step up. They're just gonna come out and take advantage of the opportunity that's gonna be given to them," he furthered. 

And eventually, Coach Topex said that this will help their program now that they are nearing the playoffs. 

"Those opportunities will just try to make us better as a team," he pointed out. "We have to go through some shared struggles and challenges. At this point kasi, when things are not really going our way, you just have to trust these guys to find ways. There are times that you don't really have to coach them but you just have to teach them. Experience will always be the best teacher."

"I really like it when we go through those kinds of games because we're just trying to get better at those experiences. We're trying to sharpen our saw, especially heading into the Final Four. Those games are really going to be the games that we're going to see in the Final Four." 

RELATED VIDEO: