Harold Alarcon and Terrence Fortea are planning to leave it all on the floor as the UP Fighting Maroons head into their 5th straight UAAP Finals looking for back-to-back championships.
Expect the UP Fighting Maroons to leave no stone unturned in their bid for back-to-back titles, which is now in the final phase as they survived the UST Growling Tigers, 82-81, in the Final Four of UAAP Season 88 Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
UP, who held a twice-to-beat advantage, had to hold off a desperate UST side to march to a fifth straight UAAP Finals.
The Fighting Maroons closed things out thanks to the stout defense of Francis Nnoruka and a clutch three by graduating guard Terrence Fortea in the final minute, which ended up being the game-winner.
After falling behind early thanks to an 11-0 start by UST, the Fighting Maroons clamped down on defense while also getting their rhythm on the other end – riding a scorching 23-2 run abridging the first and second quarters to eventually lead by as many as 15.
But the Growling Tigers wouldn’t go down without a fight, mounting their own comeback in the third quarter which triggered a back-and-forth affair all the way to the final buzzer.
With the Fighting Maroons down by two, 79-81, after a Forthsky Padrigao basket with 1:35 left, Fortea stepped up to the plate with the booming triple that put the Fighting Maroons permanently ahead with 48 ticks remaining.
For Fortea, that go-ahead basket was the product of all their hard work leading into this Final Four matchup.
“Actually, masaya [ako] pero props pa rin sa buong team. Yun pa rin talaga yung nagpa-panalo… Yung bawa’t isa samin nagtrabaho talaga para makuha yung panalo,” said Fortea after the game.
Fortea and long-time teammate Harold Alarcon are in their last year of eligibility with the Fighting Maroons, and with UP now on the cusp of its first-ever successful title defense, both players are preparing to go all out.
“Special siya para sakin kasi alam mo yun, parang every game, di na ulit kami makakabalik next season, so yun nga, kung ano yung pinapakita namin ngayon, ibibigay lang namin lahat,” said Alarcon.
Alarcon topscored for the Fighting Maroons, finishing with 22 points, two rebounds, and one assist.
He was complemented by a big game from Nnoruka who had the unfortunate task of guarding UST star rookie Collins Akowe.
[RELATED: UP aces UST test to book fifth straight UAAP Finals]
Still, Nnoruka was a rebound short of the double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Fortea dazzled with eight points, five rebounds, and six assists in just 12:49 minutes of action.
Graduating UST player Nic Cabañero, who missed the Tigers' last attempt to regain the lead, finished with a game-high 24 points while Akowe had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Paranada, who also played his final UAAP game, added 10 points.
UP now awaits the winner between the NU Bulldogs and the DLSU Green Archers in the UAAP Season 88 Finals.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.