UNIVERSITY of the Philippines fought back from 14 points down in the final seven minutes behind Carl Tamayo to stun La Salle, 78-74, in the UAAP Season 84 Final Four on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tamayo put his playoff struggles behind him and came alive with UP's season on the line, scoring 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the resolute Fighting Maroons back from a 70-56 deficit with 7:04 remaining.
UP vs Ateneo in best-of-three finals
Finally showing the spunk that was absent for majority of the game, second-seeded UP played like the team which shocked Ateneo five days back and arranged a best-of-three finals against the top-seeded Blue Eagles.
And in the middle of it all was the prodigious Tamayo, who after being held to seven points through three quarters scored the go-ahead layup over Justine Baltazar and completed the three-point play that gave UP the 76-74 lead with 21.4 seconds left.

To complete his heroics, the Gilas Pilipinas mainstay secured the game-saving rebound and made the insurance freebies with 7.6 seconds to spare.
The rookie from Nazareth School also grabbed 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists to recover from his woeful 3-of-13 shooting and four fouls in the first three periods against the Green Archers.
Malick Diouf contributed 14 points, 17 boards, four steals, and two blocks to keep the Diliman side in the game after it fell behind early while shooting just 32-percent from the field. However, UP nearly paid dearly for his two late turnovers.
Harold Alarcon was also a welcome surprise for the Fighting Maroons, tallying a season-best 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown, to go with six boards and two steals as UP reached the finals for the first time since 2018.
Senior Ricci Rivero got 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals to extend his collegiate career.

It was also a big victory as the Fighting Maroons survived the absence of CJ Cansino and Terrence Fortea, as well as Zavier Lucero's 0-of-9 shooting from the field.
"Ever since hawakan ako ni coach Gold, never niya kami tinuruan bumigay," said Tamayo.
Coach Goldwin Monteverde was also left in awe with the resolve that his young crew showed, saying, "Halos buong game, we were struggling on the floor. Pero hindi nag-give up ang players ko and we overcame adversity."
UP also made sure not to squander its twice-to-beat advantage after losing Game One, 83-80, last Wednesday to end a five-game losing skid in the postseason dating back to 2018.
La Salle's meltdown spoiled Schonny Winston's 26-point eruption as he was held scoreless in the last four minutes of the game.
Mark Nonoy also got 11 points, three assists, and two boards, while Michael Phillips had a double-double of 10 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks.
Baltazar also saw the end of his UAAP career as he bowed out with nine points, eight boards, four assists, and three steals for the Green Archers.
Evan Nelle actually had a shot to tie the game at 76, but his layup rimmed out that led to Tamayo's crucial rebound in the clutch.
The scores:
UP 78 -- Tamayo 19, Diouf 14, Alarcon 14, Rivero 12, Abadiano 7, Cagulangan 6, Spencer 5, Lucero 1, Ramos 0.
LA SALLE 74 -- Winston 26, Nonoy 11, M. Phillips 10, Baltazar 9, Nelle 6, Manuel 4, Nwankwo 4, Lojera 2, Austria 2, B. Phillips 0.
Quarters: 15-22, 39-44, 51-64, 78-74.
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