De La Salle University Green Archers star player and back-to-back UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao was emotional as he successfully led his team to a close 76-75 victory against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament. With the win, the defending champions forced a do-or-die match against the Fighting Maroons.

The recently-crowned back-to-back MVP silenced the crowd of the Fighting Maroons as he hit back-to-back triples, clinching the lead once again, 74-73. Up until that back-to-back three-point shots from Quiambao, La Salle’s was struggling in their offense from the rainbow territory, with the rest of the Green Archers having a dismal 2-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Wanting to bounce back after being limited to just one point in the second half of game 1, Quiambao knew he needed to take over and step up to lead his team to victory.

“Crunch time, it’s all about ownership. We were struggling the whole game, we were rattled nung third quarter. As a leader sa team, wala akong masabi. Lead by example, lahat ng pinagtrabahuhan namin sa practice magta-translate pagka may kumpiyansa ako sa loob ng court,” said the back-to-back MVP.

Quiambao’s back-to-back three-point shots did not only reignite his teammates as the roars from the Green Archers side suddenly drowned out the jeers from the Fighting Maroons supporters, who had been roaring since the start of the match.

“I think it’s all about mental toughness lang. Our bodies are so banged up na kaming lahat. For me, after that Game 1 loss, two days ako walang tulog, inisip ko kung anong pwede pang itulong ko sa team. Kung anong pwede ko pa i-adjust sa second half nung Game 1,” he admitted.

“Marami akong regrets noong Game 1 na, sana ginawa ko ‘to, sana ginawa ko ‘yun, so this time, sabi ko lang sa mga teammates ko na enjoy niyo lang ‘yung moment. No, pressure, and then tiwala lang sa isa’t isa.”

Playing for 32 minutes, Quiambao could barely stand as he sang the hymn of his school. Probably because of tiredness and happiness, he couldn’t help himself but to show emotions that they lived to see another day.

And Quiambao’s effort didn’t go unnoticed, especially for Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson, who did not start his ace player in the game.

“When we were planning how we were going to approach Game 2, there were a lot of discussions amongst the coaches, and when I told KQ that he wouldn’t start, he just said, ‘Okay, coach,’” the sophomore coach revealed.

“That’s already a sign of somebody who trusts the system, trusts the person calling the shots, and you don’t hear any questions from him. No reaction. He said, ‘Kung ano ‘yung makakabuti sa team, doon ako, coach,” he added.

Quiambao led the Green Archers with a game-high 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal but he had help from Mike Phillips who had a double-double performance of 18 points and 12 rebounds.

EJ Gollena and JC Macalalag also provided a breather for the team, scoring nine points apiece, while Raven Gonzales, CJ Austria, Vincent Joshua David, and Henry Agunanne combined for 18 points.

For coach Topex, the bond of his players should be like that of siblings – they can fight behind closed doors but they will present a united front against their foes.

“That’s always gonna be for us. We discussed it yesterday, and I said, it’s always a blessing to have these guys. I’m just so grateful that we have these players and go to battle with them. I’m really thankful that these guys are responding to the challenge.”

Francis Lopez Accepts Fault in Crucial Lost

If Quiambao was emotional because of their hard-fought victory, Francis Lopez of the University of the Philippine Fighting Maroons was saddened as he accepted his end-game blunders that cost them the game.

“There’s no excuse. I just missed them. Can’t do anything but move on and still have a Game 3, and still have another opportunity. Just gonna be focused on that,” Lopez told reporters outside their dugout.

“I believe we didn’t have any timeouts. We didn’t call any timeouts at the end, we were just looking for the open man. I had turnovers, we just couldn’t get it to Maimai, and that’s about it.”

Playing for 34 minutes, Lopez only had two turnovers but one of it came from the crucial stretch of the fourth quarter. The Green Archers were leading 76-75 with only seconds left in the game when Lopez had a turnover after passing the ball intended for Cagulangan.

In the last play of the game, Lopez had the ball but he continued to struggle to dish out an assist for a potential game-winning shot.

Lopez also had opportunities to reclaim the lead but he missed his last four free throws, after having had 100% efficiency in the first half of the game.

Fortunately for Lopez, Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde absolved him from the loss, saying that all was part of the game.

“As I said, we did our best to try to execute the offense. Ganon naman talaga ang basketball, miss or make lang ‘yan. Ang importante right now from here is kung paano kami magba-bounce back. Pag-uusapan namin kung paano gagawin, and be ready for the next game,” Monteverde said.

“Lahat naman nangyayari sa ganon. Tulad nung last game, pupuntahan namin siya. Yung trust namin sa kanya is very high, and as I said, each member of the team would be entitled to take shots or to execute but then, I assured him that yung trust namin will always be there for him.”

The do-or-die winner-takes-all game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals will happen on Sunday, December 15, at 5:30 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.