In Game 1 of what will be his final UAAP championship series for the University of the Philippines, graduating forward Harold Alarcon delivered a career-defining performance, pouring in 34 points to try and counter the early surge of Jacob Cortez, Doy Dungo, and De La Salle University.
But even Alarcon’s heroics — built on 12-of-22 shooting — weren’t enough to lift the Fighting Maroons, who suffered their first Game 1 loss under coach Goldwin Monteverde’s five-year tenure.
The Green Archers, meanwhile, had heroes in abundance.
Doy Dungo kept La Salle in control early, Luis Pablo scored all seven of his points and blocked two crucial shots in the payoff period, and Jacob Cortez drilled the dagger triple with 27.4 seconds left, sealing the victory.
Monteverde didn’t shy away from addressing the glaring issue during the postgame press conference.
While the team needed Alarcon to shine, the coach emphasized that one player cannot carry the entire offensive load.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Yung 34 points ni Harold, I think, of course, kailangan ng team ‘yon. But then, hindi naman pupuwede si Harold lang. To be able to win itong Finals na ito, it should take a team to be able to overcome whatever we’re facing in terms of offense,” Monteverde said Wednesday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Alarcon’s individual output nearly matched the rest of UP’s team, which collectively managed only 34 points — 13 from Nigerian forward Francis Nnoruka, eight from fellow graduating captain Gerry Abadiano, and seven from Reyland Torres.
“It’s just that na as a team, kailangan may mag-contribute rin, hindi lang siya. I guess as a team, being able to adjust lang sa ginagawa ng La Salle namin. I think that will really be part of our adjustment namin,” Monteverde added.
Despite the setback, the Fighting Maroons remain confident ahead of the do-or-die Game 2 showdown this Sunday, December 14, still at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Monteverde finds reassurance in how UP overcame a shocking 0-2 start to Season 88, winning 13 of its last 15 outings to secure its fifth consecutive Finals appearance.
With the stakes high against a rival that has bested them in all three head-to-head matchups this season, Monteverde trusts his squad can find the solution.
“‘Yon naman yung team namin. Parte na rin ito ng hinaharap namin na challenge ngayon. So far, confident naman ako, and I really trust the team that they will bounce back from this and learn from this, definitely. We’re still positive,” the 54-year-old mentor said.
“We just have to play better than this, for one. Pangalawa, just try to find out yung mga lapses na meron kami. This is not the first time na natalo kami ‘eh, just reminding ourselves na we started this season at 0-2 nga. I believe yung team namin knows how to bounce back from mga ganitong situation. We just lost a battle, the war is not over yet. We still have two games left, we’re still positive about it.”
