By Jun Ray Navarres
In a hard-fought battle, the University of the Philippines overcame a determined De La Salle University to reclaim the UAAP Men’s Basketball title, edging out their rivals, 66-62, on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The record crowd of 25,248 witnessed the Fighting Maroons regain the glory after settling for second place in the two previous seasons of UAAP.
“I want to thank God for this one. ‘Yong preparation ang pinaka importante sa amin. Siyempre, ‘yong sakit ng two years, ginawa naming motivation. No matter how hard it is to prepare, nilaban namin,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
“It was tough, especially with a team like La Salle. They have a strong program. No’ng natalo kami no’ng elimination round, we needed to take away the doubt. ‘yong belief namin sa sarili namin, binalik namin.”
UP gained a slight advantage in the second quarter, outscoring DLSU 21-15 to take a 42-36 lead at halftime.
Building on their momentum, the guys from Diliman extended their lead to double digits in the third quarter. However, La Salle’s CJ Austria ignited a comeback with a three-pointer, sparking a 10-2 run that brought them within striking distance at 56-50 heading into the final quarter.
The Green Archers carried their momentum heading into the last period with a quick 6-0 run to even the ball game.
The roller coaster ride ended when Francis Lopez, who had missed crucial free throws in the previous game, regaining his composure and draining a crucial three-pointer with 1:12 remaining, extending the Fighting Maroons’ lead to 64-60.
Though EJ Gollena tried to provide a dim hope with a steal and layup, Quentin Millora-Brown calmly sank two crucial free throws with 11.3 seconds remaining, sealing the victory for the Katipunan-natives.
The one-and-done center tallied a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. While Lopez recorded his own two-way performance of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
JD Cagulangan, who was hailed Finals MVP, also tallied 12 points, four assists and two steals in the rubber match.
“First of all, gusto ko magpasalamat sa Diyos. Hindi niya kami pinabayaan. Madami kaming ups and downs at ginuide niya kami ng maayos,” UP’s veteran guard said.
“Gusto ko magpasalamat kay Coach Gold at sa buong coaching staff dahil sa tiwala na binigay nila sa amin. At sa mga teammates ko, salamat sa inyo pare. Ang dami nating pinagdaanan.”
On the other hand, Mike Phillips paced the Archers with 18 points and 12 rebounds but fouled out when he sent Millora-Brown to the line, which proved to be the final blow.
Kevin Quiambao, the back-to-back MVP, scored 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting and failed to contribute any assists in what may have been his final game for La Salle.
Images courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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