UNIVERSITY of the Philippines is not a team to cry over spilt milk.
Fighting Maroons coach Goldwin Monteverde said his troops were unfazed despite a heartbreaking loss to defending champion La Salle in Game 2 of the Big Dance last Wednesday night.
“I guess, iyong reality: Life goes on. Ganoon naman talaga ang buhay kung minsan, it will go your way, it would not. Ang importante kunng ano ang ginawa mo to achieve ang gusto mong gawin,” Monteverde said. “But then if you fall short siyempre. . . I think iyong basketball is the perfect for them to be stronger, for them to learn.
“Definitely, with this loss matututo kaming lahat. We’ll come back stronger (on) Sunday,” he added.
Monteverde’s sentiments came on the heels of UP’s 75-76 defeat in Game 2 of their best-of-3 finals clash for the 87th UAAP basketball tournament title.
The Katipunan-based five, which downed La Salle 75-63 in the first game of the race-to-3 series, seemingly had the crown in the bag after it led 73-66 in the final 4:46.
But the Archers want on a 10-2 endgame blitz spearheaded by newly-minted two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao’s two straight three-pointers and Maroon Francis Lopez’s four missed free throws down the stretch.
The sudden death third tiff for all the marbles is set this Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Monteverde refused to pin the blame on Lopez and vowed the Maroons would bounce back.
“I guess iyong mga ganoon naman na missed free throws or missed shots, it’s all part of the game. As I said, we did our best to try to execute naman what we want offensively. Ganoon naman talaga basketball, its either missed or made lang iyan,” he said. “Ang importante lang from here is paano kami magbo-bounce back. Pag-uusapan namin ang dapat gawin and be ready for the next game.
“If it boils down to the last feed… ang pupuntahan namin diyan siya pa rin. Iyong trust namin sa kanya is malaki. As I said, siyempre, each member naman ng team will try their best to make shots or execute. But then I assured it that the trust namin will always be there.”
In a game of no tomorrow, it will all boil down to who wants it more.
