By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Ultimate Pursuit.
The Unparalleled Push to reach success.
UP, you’re back as the kings of the UAAP men’s hoops.
In front of a record-breaking 25,248 in attendance, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons saved the best for last and outdueled the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 66-62, during the win-or-go-home Game 3 to reclaim their throne in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament on December 15, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, the Fighting Maroons just ended their two-year UAAP dry spell and halted their consecutive silver medal finishes after getting back at the Green Archers who took them down in the finale last season.
Despite the disappointing Game 2 result when they let their lead slip away, the Fighting Maroons entered the final game of the championship series with the mindset of finishing strong until the official match buzzer sounded.
It was everything basketball fanatics wanted in a do-or-die Game 3. Thrilling, back-and-forth, drama-filled, and a chess match between two brilliant coaches highlighted the ending of this Season 87.
However, the Fighting Maroons proved to be the hungrier team and showed poise under pressure, especially when the Green Archers mounted a 15-2 run in the second half that saw their double-digit lead evaporate in the final frame.
With 4:54 remaining in the third, UP looked to blow the game wide-open after establishing a 14-point lead, 54-40, courtesy of a collective offensive effort from coach Goldwin Monteverde’s wards.
Just when the Fighting Maroons thought that Game 3 would turn into a walk in the park, the Green Archers replicated their come-from-behind effort from Game 2 and stormed back, equalizing things up at 56-all off a Kevin Quiambao three-pointer against the outstretched arms of UP’s Harold Alarcon.
From that sequence, the last game of the grand finals became a nip-and-tuck affair as both prestigious schools refused to back down and struck back with their own adjustments.
With the game knotted at 58-all in the 6:57 mark of the fourth, JD Cagulangan sparked the UP community after hitting a clutch three-pointer that put the Fighting Maroons ahead.
An unfortunate five-minute stretch then doomed the Green Archers when head coach Topex Robinson decided to pull out Quiambao for a quick breather on the bench.
During those moments, a series of hot potato sequences forced the game to milk more clock due to the absences of dead balls that kept Quiambao out of the playing court until the 1:50 mark when he was able to return after a call.
DLSU failed to score for almost five minutes, but got back up when graduating guard Lian Ramiro pulled the Green Archers to within a point, 61-60, after a tough daredevil drive in the remaining 1:33 of the game.
In the pressure-packed possession for the Fighting Maroons, Francis Lopez stepped up in the brightest lights and hit the biggest three-pointer of the game, increasing their cushion to four points, 64-60.
UP had the chance to play keep away after forcing a defensive stop but DLSU’s swarming full-court defense rewarded them with a stop and resulted in a converted layup from EJ Gollena.
In the next possession, one-and-done player Quentin Millora-Brown iced the game after hitting all shots from the charity stripe after Mike Phillips fouled him underneath the basket.
UP then formalized their UAAP Season 87 championship after DLSU missed all of their free throw shots on the other end, ending a two-year collegiate title drought.
“I want to thank God for this one. Yung preparation ang pinaka-importante sa amin. Siyempre, yung sakit ng two years, ginawa naming motivation. No matter how hard it is to prepare, nilaban namin,” said Monteverde, UP’s head coach, after completing the bounce back win.
Millora-Brown led UP in his final game wearing a maroon uniform and tallied 14 points including two clutch free throws alongside 10 rebounds.
Cagulangan, who is ending his UAAP career as a champion, was hailed as the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) after averaging 13.66 points, 4.66 assists, and 4.33 rebounds during the three-game finals series.
Congratulations, UP! Indeed, there is nowhere to go but UP!
