NU vs UP: Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker

NU 70 vs. UP 66

story, pic and video by rick olivares

The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons were remarkably upbeat. Inside the dugout, they were given a pep talk by one of their sponsors (Handyman). The message from their supporters and team management was crystal clear – whatever their standing, and win or lose, they were behind the team 110%. It wasn’t the first time a UP team had dug themselves in a hole yet were able to turn their season around.

As the players filed out of the dugout, on their own, they gathered around in a circle with a few last minute messages from veterans Mark Lopez and Woody Co. They put their arms around one another as a sign of unity. They were boisterous and so pumped up that one would think that the Maroons were on a win skein. Marveled team manager Jay Castro, “Maganda pa rin attitude ng mga bata. I think were going to see a different team out there today.”

Morale? Corroborated assistant coach Potit de Vera, “At 0-6? That’s all the motivation we will ever need.”

Across the corridor in the dugout of the National University Bulldogs, the team was quiet. They gathered on one side to listen to their coaches deliver the game plan one final time. The coaching staff went over the X’s and O’s one last time. One can never be too thorough after all. Right before head coach Eric Gonzales sent the Bulldogs out for warm ups, he looked at his players and paused for effect: “I have only one prayer… that when we win, we deserve the victory.”

The Bulldogs were reeling from two straight loses, one to UST and one to Ateneo with the latter inflicting a double-digit beating. “Napansin niyo that the other teams play their best games against us. Si (Eric) Salamat, nahihirapan mag-score pero sa atin naka beinte. Only if we work hard and work hard for the win then we can say that we deserve the victory. And when we do that we will have what we want – respect.”

After the first 20 minutes of the game, it looked like the Fighting Maroons were indeed going to roll towards their first win as they ran the Bulldogs ragged for a 41-21 lead. They forced NU into 13 turnovers while poaching them for 14 points for their folly.

All 10 Maroons who entered the first half scored or pitched in the stats department. They negated the height advantage that NU had with Cameroonian center Emmanuel Mbe and power forward Jewel Ponferrada with an unforgiving 2-3 zone. They harried the Bulldogs and at one point, induced NU rookie Glenn Khobuntin into an unsportsmanlike foul.

If UP was firing on all cylinders – on 48.6% shooting – NU was struggling to find a combination that would work. Gonzales had to dig in deep as he sent 13 players on to the court. The Maroons in the meantime were crazy whipping passes all around for easy baskets.

Gonzales did not discuss what they were doing wrong inside the dugout. “I reminded them about their commitment and if they still believed in it. This is the right time for us to do it and to show it. We are down by 20 now if you’re not going to play it’s going to go up to 80 points. Now if you’re going to play, it’s history.”

Inside the UP dugout, head coach Boyet Fernandez told his charges to brace themselves for an NU comeback. “We have to continue to force them out of their comfort zone,” said Fernandez as he hoped the Maroons would not let up on their defensive pressure. “We play smart and we’re going to get the win.”

At the resumption of the game, it had become obvious that NU was going to take their game inside. But they missed on three consecutive attempts while UP’s Alvin Padilla tacked on another two points off a jumper.

But then Woody Co picked up two consecutive fouls (one a technical foul) that changed the momentum of the game – in NU’s favor.

At the 8:53 mark of the 3^rd Quarter, the Bulldogs’ senior forward Mervin Baloran drove inside, the referee whistled Co for a foul, one that he disputed rather strongly. That official earlier warned Co twice for improper bench decorum as he stood up for long stretches on the sidelines while issuing instructions to his teammates. Said the official to De Vera, “coach lang ang pwedeng tumayo.”

Baloran cash in on four free throws (two from the shooting foul and two from the technical) while NU retained ball possession.

A few seconds after the inbound, Mbe scored on a putback that gave NU six points in one possession. It sliced the lead to 43-27. It didn’t seem much but as Gonzales instructed, slowly chip away at UP’s lead.

Up to that point, the Bulldogs’ point guard Joseph Terso was mostly invisible. In 14 minutes, he had 2 points, 1 rebound, and zero assists. “We’re not going to win without you,” reminded Gonzales at the half.

He tried to get the goat of Co. He got in the face of Fighting Maroon Alvin Padilla. And perhaps more importantly, began to pick up on his scoring.

And the Bulldogs put 31 points on the board in the 3^rd Quarter (while UP added 14 to their total) to come perilously close 55-52.

That left the UP gallery eerily quiet with many shaking their heads in disbelief. With 48 seconds left in the game, Kokoy Hermosisima hit a cold blooded dagger from the left side pocket to give NU its first taste of the lead since Joseph Eriobu strung up the game’s first four points for a 68-66 lead.

As UP called for time, without the fouled out Co and gunner Martin Reyes who had cramped up, Gonzales correctly figured out that the Maroons would go to long range bombardier Mike Silungan. The rookie had 9 points but he couldn’t chase his shooting woes. He was 4-12 and 1-5 from three-point land at that point but he was still UP’s best bet to still pull out a win. Only this time, he had to deal with a 6’5” and long-armed Jewel Ponferrada instead of Khobuntin or Baloran. As the seconds ticked away and unable to extricate himself from Ponferrada and Mbe who made sure that UP couldn’t work out a pick and roll with Magi Sison, Silungan passed off to Alvin Padilla. But Padilla missed badly.

As Terso trooped to the free throw line for what would be the final points of the game – 70-66 – the Maroons were shell-shocked in disbelief. They had found a most painful way to lose a game. Never mind if they were blown off the court after all, what can you do? But they had this – this was cruel. This was like someone wrenched their fighting hearts and left a gaping hole in its place. This was in the bag. They spotted NU a 22-point lead. Martin Reyes was sizzling from the outside. Mark Lopez was scoring over Mbe. And Fernandez was finding new heroes from the bench with every bucket. This was supposed to be the first win where they turned their season around.

Instead…. this was heartbreaking and that is the understatement of the year.

The UP gallery was stunned. Like their players, many were in tears.

Across the court, NU tempered their on-court post-match celebration. Baloran, who has seen the business end of many a crushing defeat knew what the Maroons were going through. He pulled his teammates to applaud their fallen foe.

Thirty minutes after the game had ended, the NU Bulldogs waited outside for their shuttle to take them to their post-game dinner.

Forty-five minutes after the game had ended, only then did the UP Maroons file out of the dugout. They managed weak smiles as the hurt was palpable.

One hour after the game had ended, Boyet Fernandez was still inside the dugout staring at the stat sheet. Outside, assistant coach Jerry Codinera was talking in muffled tones to former fellow pro Sonny Cabatu.

Fernandez stood up and finally left.

NU 70 – Hermosisima 13, Mbe 12, Terso 12, Baloran 9, Khobuntin 6, Ponferrada 6, Eriobu 4, Malanday 3, Ludovice 2, Javillonar 2, Magat 1, Ignacio 0, Singh 0

UP 66 – Reyes Martin 15, Padilla 11, Silungan 9, Lopez 8, Sison 6, Juruena 6, Hipolito 4, Gomez 4, Reyes Mikee 2, Co 1, Saret 0, Maniego 0


My notes: This morning, I had to leave the house earlier than I expected to attend a quick meeting on a story I am writing soon that should kick down the doors on some shitheads. There was a lot to discuss but I cut it short because I wanted to arrive at the San Juan Arena early. Something in my gut told me that it was going to be one heck of a game. This guy from ABS CBN I was talking to didn't think so (tsk tsk) and I guess it shows what you know. I did remind the person about what he said. 


Anyways, I wanted to see if I could follow both sides and I was just all over before the game. Hopefully, I did the match some justice.


I think I wrote it somewhere that after following all the UAAP/NCAA teams, I've had this better appreciation for other squads. I am truly grateful that many of the teams and their coaching staff and managers grant me access (practice, pre, halftime, and post-game even). The UP Fighting Maroons -- well, I guess that goes back when Joe Lipa was the coach several years back and I was able to see what this team was. And that goes for Aboy Castro too. Players like Mark Lopez, Woody Co, Magi Sison, Martin Reyes, Migs de Asis, Mike Silungan, and others have been great. Really accommodating. Magi is one of my closest friends on Smart Gilas and I always go out of my way to wish him and his teammates well. The National University Bulldogs, of course that goes all the way back to the late Sonny Paguia to Manny Dandan and Rico Perez and now Eric Gonzales. Coach Eric was an assistant to Coach Binky Favis in Coca Cola when I think, I was the sole person writing anything about them outside a game recap. Coach Binky and Coach Eric remembered that that's why I got the tip and broke the news about the trade for Asi Taulava. And now Gonzales is with the Bulldogs. It's amazing to learn that their spouses read my stuff and so does Mr. Sy. Then look out for my feature on them in the next issue of Rebound. 


To Mike S -- use this as a springboard. Things will turn around. They will.