Francis Lopez showcased his repertoire of skills yesterday as the University of the Philippines zoomed to a 78-60 victory over National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Lopez had his best performance so far for the Fighting Maroons, scoring 14 points behind a 6-of-11 shooting from the field, grabbing seven rebounds and issuing four assists to enable UP to remain on top with a 3-0 win-loss record.
Holding onto a 60-54 lead in the fourth quarter, UP caught fire by outscoring NU, 8-1, capped by a layup from Lopez with four minutes and 52 seconds left in the game.
A layup by Lopez closed out scoring with 1:28 remaining, 78-60, which turned out to be the biggest lead of the game.
For head coach Goldwin Monteverde, it was a terrific win but it was not enough to convince him that the squad has played to its true potential.
“We just reminded ourselves to sustain our start, especially in the defensive end. This is a good win for us in terms of early growth as a team.”
Monteverde admitted that he was “really happy” but the players have to “stay level-headed.”
Besides, Monteverde warned, “it’s only the third game of the season and we just have to keep on improving.”
But the UP taskmaster didn’t hold back when asked to assess the performance of the 6-foot-6 Lopez.
“He’s an athletic guy, he’s talented but ever since we were together, I saw his value as a team player. Seeing the floor, getting everybody involved at the same time in offense and defense, he has a big impact (on the team).”
UP scored 15 easy points off the Bulldogs’ 15 turnovers and dropped 19 fastbreak points.
The Maroons bench also outscored the Bulldogs’ bench, 40-25.
Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Malick Diouf backed up Lopez with solid numbers: 12 points and 13 rebounds.
CJ Cansino also made his presence felt by hitting 12 points for the Maroons.
Harold Alarcon also had a great shooting clip for UP with 10 points.
Jake Figeroua’s 13-point performance was in vain after the Bulldogs suffered their first loss in three matches.
Earlier, Vince Magbuhos celebrated his 24th birthday in style, hitting a game-winning shot to upset defending champion Ateneo de Manila University, 74-71, in overtime.
Magbuhos, who scored 11 points for the Soaring Falcons, banked his buzzer-beating triple over the defense of Jason Credo to walk away with the victory.
