UP’s Lopez atones for Game 2 gaffes with stellar performance in UAAP title clincher
MANILA, Philippines — University of the Philippines' high-flying forward Francis Lopez redeemed himself Sunday with a clutch 3-pointer to help bring back the UAAP championship back in Diliman after a missed free throws and a crucial turnover in their Game 2 loss of the UAAP men’s basketball finals.
After La Salle chased down the lead into just one in the last minute of the fourth of Sunday’s Game 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Lopez was left wide open in the middle to hit a triple dagger that gave the Maroons much-needed breathing space.
The Maroons won by four, 66-62, with Lopez contributing double-double figures of 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with six assists.
“I'm going to shoot this. It was really a surreal moment on that. But the game wasn't over, so I got to keep my composure,” Lopez told reporters, recalling his thought process during that crucial endgame stretch.
Lopez said that he pays no mind to his bashers who have been throwing him under the bus for his Game 2 mishaps.
“Like I said, I don't care about what they say. I'm not here to please anybody from the outside. I'm not here to please anybody. As a matter of fact, [expletive] them, man. I don't give a [expletive]. I don't give a [expletive] to the others. What I care about as a team, what's inside of us,” Lopez said.
As UP-La Salle sparked in two consecutive seasons that created a new UAAP rivalry, the trophy found its way back to the Maroons this season.
“After that last year, we still were able to talk with one another. It was just really a surreal moment, man. They keep on believing on me, and I'm just really happy that they're still there. We got that last year. We were able to conquer this time, so yep,” Lopez added. — Brent Sagre, intern
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