Francis Lopez played a crucial role in the University of the Philippines’ 65-60 second-round victory over Ateneo de Manila University, and he was not afraid to express his happiness.
The 20-year-old rookie contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal for the Fighting Maroons.
Over 17,000 fans witnessed the latest chapter of the Battle of Katipunan, and the victory was particularly sweet for the maroon side.
“We’re proud of what we did, but the job’s not finished – we still have a lot of games. We still have upcoming games and we just have to move on to the next (one),” said the 6-foot-6 Fil-Nigerian forward.
“This is a big win for us because we had our loss against Ateneo in the first game. But in the second game, we adjusted and we got the W.”
Lopez felt so delighted with UP’s victory that he continued to make “shush” signs after the final buzzer. This was reminiscent of what his teammate CJ Cansino did in the Fighting Maroons’ first-round loss to the Blue Eagles on October 22.
The former University of Santo Tomas winger received a lot of criticism for his behavior during that game, especially since his team ended up on the losing side.
Cansino missed Sunday’s game due to the flu, but his junior made sure that his presence was still felt in some way.
“Oh yeah, we got the win and I’m gonna back up CJ for whatever happens. That’s just it. As soon as the buzzer sounded, I thought of CJ and then I did that for him,” said the former La Salle Green Hills product.
Another similarity that Lopez has with Cansino is that the former has also received criticism for his move from Ateneo to UP during the off-season.
The former Gilas Pilipinas player was part of a video that showed him and his former Atenean teammates celebrating the Season 85 championship enthusiastically in the locker room.
His move was quite unexpected, and there is still lingering bitterness, especially on social media.
Not that he cares, though, and that “shush” sign was also a message to his detractors.
“Most definitely yeah, that’s it. Yup, most definitely,” said Lopez.
“You know it doesn’t really matter what they say outside. What matters is the team. We just got the win and that taunt is for CJ because we lost that first round and then we’re just really happy that we bounced back.”
The Fighting Maroons will next face the De La Salle Green Archers next Sunday. Judging from both teams’ first-round clash – which saw UP narrowly escape with a 67-64 victory over La Salle – their next game promises to be another exciting one to watch.
Lopez knows that the Green Archers will be a tough team to beat, and it’s all about going back to the drawing board after defeating the Blue Eagles.
“We still got a lot of things to work to do, especially on La Salle because they’re a tough team as well. We will be prepared for them.”
