NATIONAL University's otherwise brilliant UAAP Season 88 campaign ended on a sour note.
Already assured of the top seed at 11–3, the Bulldogs stumbled, losing to the UST Growling Tigers, 71–80, on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The biggest missing piece in the loss? Jake Figueroa.
READ: UST catches fire late vs NU to claim third seed in Final Four
Figueroa, NU’s engine all season long, finished with just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, adding two rebounds, two assists, three turnovers, one steal, and one block.
From the opening tip, he never looked like the dominant force that carried the Bulldogs through much of Season 88.
And in a rare sight, he didn’t see a single second of action in the fourth quarter as NU attempted to mount a comeback.
For the senior forward, the struggle was obvious and he didn’t hide from it.
“Flat start talaga,” Figueroa admitted.
Even though the matchup was non-bearing for NU, he insisted that relaxing was never in his mindset.
“Gusto rin namin bumawi. Hindi dapat ganun yung laro namin.”
The do-it all wingman wished he could help more as he could only encourage his teammates from the sideline.
“Kahit gusto kong tumulong sa kanila, syempre, nasa bench ako,” he told the SPIN.ph.
“Struggle ako, pero at the same time, relaxed din. Alam namin patapos na yung season.”
But despite the off-night, NU still heads into the Final Four as the top seed, carrying a twice-to-beat advantage.
And for the captain, the solution moving forward is straightforward.
“Laro lang talaga,” he said. “Ibabalik namin yung mindset na parang championship mode.”
While being the frontrunner for the season’s MVP award, Figueroa admitted that it was never part of his plan and he was already used to that kind of feeling.
“Hindi ko na mahihiling yun. Naglaro lang talaga ako. Parang nung high school ako, out of nowhere, di ko expect na ganun yung mangyayari. So, yun lang, laro lang talaga ako” the former juniors MVP said.
Winning an award or not, the focus, he said, stays on polishing what needs to be fixed and proving the kind of team NU really is.
“Hindi pa sapat yung pinakita namin kanina,” Figueroa stressed.
“Hindi pa kami nag-send ng message na ganito kami maglaro. Kailangan pa namin i-polish, kailangan pa namin trabahuhin.”
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