The UP Fighting Maroons quickly turn their focus to Game 3 of the UAAP men’s basketball finals after a heartbreaking Game 2 loss to defending champions De La Salle Green Archers.
What could have been a night of celebration for the UP faithful on Wednesday instantly turned into a forgettable evening after the Fighting Maroons’ 75-76 loss to the De La Salle Green Archers in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Despite leading for much of the second half, UP was unable to fend off a resurgent La Salle in the final minutes of regulation, which included back-to-back clutch triples from two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao that gave the Archers a 74-73 lead with 1:30 left to play.
After a quick exchange of baskets between Quentin Millora-Brown and Mike Phillips, UP’s Francis Lopez would miss his next four free throws in the final seconds. Lopez’s missed freebies could have either tied the game or given the Maroons a slim advantage with less than a minute to play.
As a result, the Archers successfully held on to their slim 75-76 lead to force a winner-takes-all Game 3 for the Season 87 men’s basketball title.
“There’s no excuse, I just missed them. I can’t do anything but move on and we still have a Game 3, still have another opportunity and we’re just gonna be focused on that one,” the sophomore forward said in a short post-game interview. “We’re just talking about [in the dugout] that [the finals] is not over yet, so we got more days to prepare for Game 3, it’s a do or die game for both teams.”
Lopez also took accountability for his errant pass to JD Cagulangan following his rebound off Phillips’ missed free throws with 15 seconds left in regulation.
“I believe we didn’t have any timeouts. We didn’t call any timeouts at the end, we were just looking for the open man. I had turnovers, we just couldn’t get it to Maimai [Cagulangan], and that’s about it,” the 21-year-old said.
Like Lopez, UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde refused to cry over spilled milk as he reaffirmed his trust in his versatile forward. Monteverde believes such lapses are part of the game, and it’s now a matter of learning from those ahead of Game 3.
“‘Yung mga ganon naman na missed free throws or missed shots, it’s all part of the game. We did our best to try to execute naman what we want offensively, eh ganoon naman talaga basketball eh, its either missed or made lang yan,” Monteverde said in a separate interview.
Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday, December 15 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, where UP will have one final shot to dethrone the Archers as UAAP men’s basketball champions. With three days to prepare, it’s now a matter of moving forward and learning from Wednesday’s lapses for another do-or-die game for a UAAP championship.
“I guess ‘yung reality is life goes on. Ganun naman talaga ‘yung buhay na kung minsan it will go your way or it would not. Ang importante kung ano ‘yung ginagawa mo to achieve ‘yung gusto mong gawin,” reflected Monteverde. “But then if you fall short syempre…I think ‘yung basketball is the perfect [way] naman for them to be stronger, for them to learn. And definitely with this loss matututo kaming lahat and we’ll come back stronger Sunday.”
‘Di pa naman tapos’
Also at stake in the UAAP Season 87 finals is a perfect send-off to veteran guard JD Cagulangan, who stressed that the series is far from over with Game 3 still coming up.
Like Monteverde and Lopez, Cagulangan is moving on from Wednesday’s heartbreaker as the Fighting Maroons shift their focus to the do-or-die game this Sunday.
“Sabi ko lang na hindi pa naman tapos. May Game 3 pa and ‘yun, sana manalo kami sa Game 3 na ‘yun and of course paghihirapan namin at hindi magiging madali ‘yung laban na ‘yun,” Cagulangan said in a quick interview. “Pag-aaralan namin kung ano ‘yung lapses namin and matuto kami sa kung anong pagkakamali at babawi kami sa Game 3.”
The fifth-year guard finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in Game 2, with 11 of his 16 points alone coming in UP’s third-quarter surge as he teamed up with Gerry Abadiano and Millora-Brown to penetrate the Archers’ defense.
“‘Di siya totally take charge pero kasi nasakin ‘yung mga shots so para suklian ‘yung trust ng mga teammates ko and mga coaches ko, so kailangan ko i-tira at ng kumpyansa sa sarili so ‘yun nangyari ‘yung third quarter,” reflected Cagulangan.
Now, it’s a matter of getting the job done this Sunday to bring home another UAAP title back to Diliman.
“Hopefully ‘yun, makuha namin ‘yung panalo sa Game 3 and sana magtapos akong [champion],” the veteran floor general said.
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.