Francis Lopez was a non-factor in the University of the Philippines’ 66-77 loss to De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 87 collegiate men’s basketball second round, as he struggled with foul trouble throughout the game.
The Season 86 Rookie of the Year only managed six points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field, but grabbed seven rebounds and two assists.
However, he was unable to stay on the floor for long due to four fouls, resulting in just eight minutes and 13 seconds of playing time.
Prior to this game, Lopez had been averaging 19 minutes and 21 seconds of floor time in the Fighting Maroons’ first 11 games.
It was his fourth foul that particularly frustrated the hyper-athletic forward, keeping him out for the rest of the game as the Green Archers pulled away with the win.
The fourth foul occurred at the 2:10 mark of the third quarter, when his teammate Janjan Felicilda attempted to pass him the ball, but it was intercepted by La Salle’s Joshua David.
In an effort to stop the fast break, Lopez sprinted back on defense. However, David tried to bait him into committing a foul at center court – and succeeded.
Lopez felt the referees anticipated the bump before it even happened.
“The referees got to check my fourth foul. That was bad officiating, they got to review that ****. That’s it. That’s all I’m gonna say,” Lopez said.
His third foul came 13 seconds earlier, when he tried to take a charge from Mike Phillips, who was going for a dunk. Unfortunately, Lopez was too late and was called for a blocking foul.
Lopez’s first two fouls occurred consecutively at the 8:47 mark of the second period, when he held Vhoris Marasigan’s arm during an off-ball defensive play.
The two got tangled up, prompting Lopez to push Marasigan, which resulted in a technical foul. This sent him to the bench until the third frame.
It was a performance Lopez had not hoped for against La Salle, especially after their first-round encounter, where UP forward Reyland Torres was allegedly spat on by La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
The UAAP later deemed the evidence “inconclusive,” issuing only stern warnings to both teams.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Following the incident, Lopez expressed his feelings on the matter to protect his “brother” Torres. On his Instagram story, he said, “That one action to one of our players made it personal.”
When asked if the incident affected his performance in today’s game, which saw him in foul trouble throughout, Lopez denied it.
“No, it didn’t,” Lopez said when asked if the incident had affected his performance.
“But you know, if your brother got spat on by somebody like that, come on, let’s be honest here – who wouldn’t react that way? I’m just trying to protect my brother right there,” he continued.
“I think if we did the same thing, they would have reacted the same, so that’s a fair game. We don’t want no hypocrites out here, it’s just the same.”
With this loss, the Fighting Maroons absorbed their second-straight defeat, following National University’s 67-47 upset on November 3.
Despite the losses, UP has already secured the second seed and a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the Final Four. Lopez is eager to get back on the court and prove himself once again.
“We got the twice-to-beat advantage no matter what, but you know, it’s a tough loss for us. But we’re not gonna give up. It’s not over yet; still got a lot of games, and we just hope for the win,” Lopez said.
