CALL it poetic justice.
University of the Philippines coach Goldwin Monteverde was elated no end when forward Francis Lopez atoned for his Game 2 blunders in the deciding match of their title duel with La Salle last Sunday night.
The 6-foot-5 Lopez’s eyes widened when he saw the basket from the top of the key—nonchalantly with the shot clock ticking like the heartbeats of the 25,248 fans that came in droves wearing either maroon or green at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lopez’s booming three-pointer in the face of newly-minted two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao gave the Maroons a 64-60 lead with 1:13 left.
“At his age, you know, his road to greatness talaga dadaan siya sa ganoon. Iyong mga pagsubok and sobrang saya ko for him kasi iyong dinaanan niya, hindi rin ganoon kadali, especially for his age,” Monteverde said.
“Paano mag-bounce back, paano mag-step up and you know, blessing ito ni Lord sa kanya dahil that last shot, iyong three points niya, iyong din naman ang nagbigay sa amin (ng separation), ang nag-seal ng panalo namin so, very happy for him,” he added.
Lopez, 21, muffed four straight free throws and committed a costly turnover in the waning seconds of the second tiff where UP dropped a painful 75-76 decision to the Green Archers and dragged the best-of-3 series to sudden death.
But he more than made up for it with the backbreaking triple and wound up with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, on top of six assists.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to shoot this,’ and it went in,” Lopez said of his big shot. “It was a surreal moment, but the game wasn’t over. I had to keep my composure. After that buzzer, everything sunk in—our hard work, the support from the UP community, and my family.
“I want to thank the Man above. We really worked hard and made it happen.”
Monteverde was just as ecstatic as his prized ward.
“He’s very happy na siyempre part siya ng last season. Alam mo iyong kung minsan dumaan ka sa ganoon, iyong belief mo kailangan mo talaga i-push ang sarili mo,” he said. “Realizing na you know, kapag hindi ka sumuko, whatever happens, lumaban ka.
“May mangyayaring maganda. Iyon talaga iyong naging message.”
After perhaps a sleepless night on the heels of his second game booboo, Lopez will now have the merriest of Christmas.
