Ace rookie Lopez credits UP teammates for veteran-like performance in UAAP finals debut

MANILA, Philippines — There was no room for rookie jitters for UP winger Francis Lopez as he came up big for the Fighting Maroons in seizing Game One of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball finals with a 97-67 blowout of La Salle at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

Though only having his first taste of the bright lights of the UAAP seniors basketball finals, Lopez was hardly moved by his more experienced foes.

In front of a crowd of more than 17,000 fans, Lopez soared to a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.

After the game, Lopez deflected the credit to his teammates for a job well done.

“My teammates, they were there for me always. They always talk to me, especially coaches. They would just talk about what’s gonna happen because they’ve been there,” said Lopez, who is also the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. 

“It’s my first time coming in here in the finals for the UAAP, I know there’s big crowds and everything like that but you know. I wanna thank them for this one and hopefully we will get our mindset right for the next game and finish this season,” he added.

Lopez’ competition was no joke, as he was tasked to tango in the paint with the likes of Mike Phillips and Kevin Quiambao. But when push came to shove, and with the UAAP title on the line, Lopez knew he was ready to go toe-to-toe.

“You know it’s the finals. We gotta really fight hard on the boards and they got big guys as well there,” he said. 

“I think we were hungrier than them. We’re glad we got this one and we just got to focus on the next one,” he continued.

Now, Lopez and the Maroons have the chance to close out La Salle and regain the title after winning the cup in UAAP Season 84.

With still another hurdle set to face them on Sunday, the high flying rookie is ready to battle it out again.

“Like I said before, our mission is to get two wins. Now, we got the first win and we got one more win we need,” said Lopez.

Game 2 between UP and La Salle tips off Sunday, 4 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.