By: Dominique Veloso
Chicco Briones finally got his moment in the spotlight, delivering a timely third-quarter explosion to rescue University of the Philippines from a potential upset against a still-winless University of the East, 91-81, in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Now in his fifth and final year with the Fighting Maroons, Briones had struggled to crack the rotation of a deep UP squad, averaging just 1.5 points in roughly six minutes per game before Saturday’s contest.
But with UP stumbling out of the gates against UE, the 6-foot-6 forward came alive when his team needed him most. He nailed three consecutive three-pointers to close out the third quarter and turn a 65-61 deficit into a 73-65 advantage heading into the payoff period.
That scoring burst proved to be the turning point as the Fighting Maroons pulled away to secure their third straight win. Briones finished with 13 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, along with one steal.
“My mindset going to the games is I just want to win. I have the winning mentality that has been instilled in me throughout my four years here in UP,” the 23-year-old, second-generation forward said.
“I think it’s my pride saying that I didn’t want to lose to any team, but I still respect how they play and who they are as a team. It was just an opportunity to be the glue guy for the team in whatever they needed. I just did whatever they needed.”
The victory sent UE to its 27th consecutive defeat, matching the second-longest losing streak in UAAP men’s basketball history, set by the Fighting Maroons from Seasons 75 to 77.
With UP closing the first round at 5-2 and securing a top-two finish, Briones said the performance provides a big confidence boost heading into the second round, where the competition is expected to intensify for the redemption-seeking Maroons.
Far Eastern University and National University, both at 4-2, sit just behind UP. Then Adamson University, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of Santo Tomas are level at 3-3 in a tightly-contested race for the Final Four.
“A lot, to be honest. It’s just an opportunity that I was given, and I took advantage of it. Those baskets came because of my teammates — the offensive rebounds, the loose balls that they were diving for. I wouldn’t have made those tough baskets without them. Kudos to my teammates for trusting me with the ball and for letting me shoot them,” Briones said.
With key players James Payosing, Rey Remogat, and Veejay Pre likely to draw even more defensive attention in the second round, Briones’ timely breakthrough offers another option for head coach Goldwin Monteverde as UP pursues a return to the top of the UAAP men’s basketball hierarchy.
Monteverde, however, stressed that the challenges will only get tougher from here.
“Ano lang kami ‘eh, as a team, pagka medyo masama start namin tulad kanina, having some players coming from the bench that will contribute sa team… Siyempre it’s big for us sa team,” Monteverde shared.
“Itong mga challenge na hinaharap namin. Alam naman namin na kahit gaano kahirap siya, it’s just telling us that there are much bigger challenges ahead.”
