MANILA, Philippines -- Two first-year players put together breakout performances to help their teams gain much-needed victories in the UAAP Season 85 basketball tournament.

After a winless campaign last season, University of the East (UE) now holds a 3-2 card -- with back-to-back wins to boot -- courtesy of the impressive play of versatile forward Luis Villegas.

The first-year player is proving to be a rising star for the Red Warriors with averages of 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals in key wins against De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Meanwhile, another rookie, Ateneo de Manila University's Kacey Dela Rosa, also turned heads with a stupendous stat line of 30 markers on 10-of-13 shooting, 20 boards, and seven blocks in the Blue Eagles' 67-61 victory vs. University of the Philippines (UP).

Behind their breakout games, Villegas and Dela Rosa were hailed as the Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Co-Players of the Week presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

"It's not an easy league to play (in). Every team is competitive and the physicality is real. It's a little bit difficult, but I feel like it's a better transition. For sure, this is a tough league," said Villegas.

For his part, Ateneo head coach LA Mumar was optimistic he'll see more top-flight performances from a young big he likened to an NBA legend.

"First of all, we really expect a lot from Shaq and Kobe. That's what I call them. They're really skilled and talented," he said, talking about Dela Rosa - the Shaquille O'Neal in the analogy - and veteran guard Jhazmin Joson - playing the role of Kobe Bryant.

"I'm very confident with their talent. I think they're such a deadly 1-2 combo. It gives us a chance every game to win," he added.

Villegas bested UP's Carl Tamayo, National University's Steve Nash Enriquez, and La Salle's Schonny Winston, while Dela Rosa bested Ateneo teammate Joson and NU's Mikka Cacho for the award .

In the history of the weekly citations decided and deliberated upon by scribes from print and online regularly covering the UAAP, this is the third time that two players shared the honor.

The first was NU's Ria Nabalan and Ateneo's Ange Kouame in Oct. 2018 followed by then UST rookie CJ Cansino and Adamson's Mar Prado in Oct. 2019. The group also handed out Co-Players of the Week honors in the NCAA with San Beda's Robert Bolick and Letran's Bong Quinto in Aug. 2018.