Gab Dagangon reacts after the final buzzer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRERnet
Just when everything seemed to be going awry for Perpetual, Gab Dagangon recovered the leather and found himself under the basket, scoring the go-ahead bucket to put Perpetual up, 85-83, with 19.7 seconds to go.
“Syempre kailangan i-shoot talaga. Baka mabaliktad pa at matalo pa kami kaya di ko na sinayang,” he said.
Another tough defensive stand on the other end propelled the Altas to an 87-83 victory over San Beda, keeping themselves alive in the NCAA Season 92 Final Four on Friday.
READ: Perpetual stuns San Beda to force decider for Finals berth
The huge undergoal stab capped Dagangon’s excellent showing, finishing with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
Coach Jimwell Gican lauded the 23-year-old forward for stepping up when it mattered.
“Masaya ako sa kanya. Yun naman ang sabi ko sa kanya eh, magtiwala lang sya sa sarili nya, sa sistema, at sa game plan,” he said. “Kahit may import kami, we need to work as a team pa rin. Kailangan magtiwala kami na kaya namin, so happy ako na maganda ang nilaro nya. Yung puso at utak, nandoon na at dala nya.”
But more importantly, Dagangon extended Perpetual’s campaign this season as it forced a decider on Tuesday.
“Masaya kami sa resulta ngayon, pero di pa tapos dahil may Game 2 pa,” he said.
The Digos City native, though, is hopeful that the Altas can sustain this form come the winner-take-all clash on Tuesday.
“Sana kung ano pinakita namin ngayon, makikita pa sa Game 2 kasi maga-adjust din ang San Beda eh,” he said.