By MARK REY MONTEJO
Francis Lopez might have had costly misses and turnovers in Game 2, but that didn’t stop him from redeeming himself by hitting big shots down the stretch in their 66-62 win in Game 3 to help University of the Philippines return to the summit of UAAP men’s basketball.
The 21-year-old Perez delivered when it mattered most as he drilled a dagger triple at the top of the key – off Harold Alarcon’s pass – with 1:12.6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Maroons a 64-60 lead.
And in that exact moment, there was any sense of doubt that he would, this time, make the shot.
“As soon as he passed me the ball, I was like, I’m going to shoot this, I’m going to shoot this, and you know, it went in,” said Lopez. “You know, it was really a surreal moment.”
“But you know, the game wasn’t over, so I got to keep my composure, and you know, I’ve got a buzzer, man. Everything sinked in, man, all the hard work, man, all the support, especially from the UP community,” he added.
“My family, you know and, you know, I want to thank the man above, thank you so much, you know. We really worked hard for this one, and I’m really happy.”
The moment was exact opposite in Game 2 when he botched multiple opportunities to win the game for UP, making him a subject of scrutiny online.
But thanks to his teammates’ trust, the Fil-Angolan cager regained his morale, knowing full well that the whole UP squad was ready to back him up.
“They still trusted me, you know. After that loss, you know, we still were able to talk to one another, and you know, it was just really a surreal moment, man,” Lopez continued.
“They keep on believing in me, you know, and I’m just really happy that they’re still there for me, even though we got that loss,” he added. “We were able to conquer it this time, so yep, I’m really happy.”
As for the online hate and bashing thrown at him after Game 2, Lopez couldn’t care less.
“Like I said, I don’t care about what they say, you know, and I’m not here to please anybody from the outside,
man. I’m not here to please anybody,” said Lopez.
“As a matter of fact, f*** them, man. I don’t give a s***. I don’t give a s***, to be honest. What I care about is the team, you know, what’s inside of us,” he added. “And I’m just really happy that we got this win, and I can finally say that I’m officially a champion.”
With Cagulangan bidding farewell, Lopez alongside his fellow mainstays are anticipated to banner the title defense bid of the Diliman-based crew in Season 88.
