Francis Lopez redeems self to emerge as UP hero in title clincher

Francis Lopez and UP Fighting Maroons celebrate after beating the La Salle Green Archers in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Francis Lopez was a man of his word, making up for his costly Game 2 errors with a clutch triple that sealed University of the Philippines’ successful title redemption in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

After La Salle cut the lead down to one with 90 seconds left, Lopez was left wide open at the top of the key for an opportunity to redeem himself and he pounced on it with a dagger three that gave UP a crucial 64-60 lead at the final 1:12 mark.

In a game of inches that was Game 3, Lopez’s three proved to be the dagger as it forced La Salle to scramble for baskets with the time winding down.

READ: UP outlasts La Salle in Game 3 to reclaim UAAP men’s basketball title

“As soon as [Harold Alarcon] passed me the ball, I was like, I’m going to shoot this, I’m going to shoot this, and it went in. It was really a surreal moment on that, but the game wasn’t over, so I got to keep my composure,” said Lopez, who finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists despite committing nine turnovers.

UP held on to the 66-62 victory to dethrone their tormentors from last season in front of a record-breaking 25,248 crowd.

“After the buzzer. Everything sank in. All the hard work, all the support, especially from the UP community, my family. I want to thank the men above. We really worked hard for this one, and I’m really happy.”

Lopez was on the receiving end of social media backlash after his Game 2 endgame gaffe where he missed four straight free throws in Game 2 and committed a passing turnover that allowed La Salle to escape with a 76-75 win to force a decider.

Francis Lopez and UP Fighting Maroons celebrate after beating the La Salle Green Archers in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

The high-flying sophomore offered no excuse and stayed focused despite his crucial errors with coach Goldwin Monteverde saying the team would continue to put its trust in Lopez.

READ: UAAP Finals: Francis Lopez offers no excuse for endgame blunders

And Lopez paid back his team’s trust with his heroics in Game 3 as he shrugged off all his doubters. 

“Like I said, I don’t care about what they sa and I’m not here to please anybody from the outside.  As a matter of fact, f**k them, man. I don’t give a s***t, to be honest,” Lopez said candidly. “What I care about is the team, what’s inside of us, and I’m just really happy that we got this win, and I can finally say that I’m officially a champion.”

“They still trusted me. After that loss we still were able to talk to one another, and t was just really a surreal moment. They keep on believing in me and I’m just really happy that they’re still there for me, even though we got that loss. We were able to conquer it this time ,” Lopez said.