FRANCIS Lopez laid on the Smart Araneta Coliseum floor, his hands over his head just when the final buzzer of the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball finals sounded as he absorbed University of the Philippines' return to the pinnacle following a 66-62 win over La Salle.
Missing four free throws and having a costly turnover in the one-point Game 2 loss, things could've gone so much different for the high-flying 6'6 forward, but he came into the historic arena with redemption on his mind and he certainly made it happen.
With the Green Archers once again hot on their heels, Lopez drained the biggest three of the night to give State U some breathring room, 64-60 with a minute and 13 seconds remaining in the game, a shot which gave UP the breathing room it needed to come away with the championship.
For Lopez, it was all about repaying his team's trust.
“[The team] still trusted me after that loss. We still were able to talk to one another. It was just really a surreal moment. They keep on believing in me and I'm just really happy that they were still there for me, even though we got that loss,” said Lopez.
READ: QMB delivers for UP from same place it lost Game Two
“After that buzzer, everything sinked in. We were able to conquer this time, so I'm really happy.”
Redemption arc like no other
Aside from the trust from his team, it's how he basically shut down all the noise after his costly Game 2 blunders which helped him to move forward.
Subject of ridicule in social media over the past few days, UP’s polarizing star signed off an eventful UAAP season in a way he’d know best: he let his actions do the talking, up until the very end.
And to whatever anyone has to say about that, Lopez couldn’t care less.
“I don't care about what they say, you know, I'm not here to please anybody from the outside man, I'm not here to please anybody,” Lopez said.
“As a matter of fact, f— them man, I don't give a s—, I don't give a s— to be honest. What I care about is the team, what's inside of us, and I'm just really happy that we got this win.
“I can finally say that I'm officially a champion.”
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