Terrence Fortea propelled the University of the Philippines to the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Finals with a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 48.5 seconds, securing an 82-81 win over the University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
This marks the fifth consecutive Finals appearance for the second-seeded Fighting Maroons and their sixth in the last seven seasons.
And it came courtesy of Fortea doing what he has done throughout his career—knocking down clutch shots from beyond the arc.
“I’m very proud of the team. A team like UST, we really respect ‘yung program nila. We know going to this game hindi siya magiging madali for us, but then seeing Terrence, sila Harold, the whole team responding sa situation makes me proud as a coach,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
With the Growling Tigers ahead 81-79 after a floater by Forthsky Padrigao and missed opportunities on both sides, Fortea’s moment arrived. He drilled a fastbreak, pull-up three-pointer that became the game-winner.
UST had multiple chances to retake the lead. After a timeout, Nic Cabañero got a layup, but Francis Nnoruka met him at the top and blocked the shot with about 46 seconds remaining.
Cabañero had another opportunity with 13 seconds left but missed again as the Fighting Maroons held on to dribble out the clock.
“Trust pa rin sa buong team, ‘yun pa rin ang nagpanalo. Bawat isa sa amin nagtrabaho talaga para makuha ‘yung panalo,” said Fortea, who finished with eight points, six assists, and five rebounds in just 12 minutes and 49 seconds of playing time.
UP will await the winner of the top seed National University and fourth-ranked De La Salle University matchup, which goes to a rubber match on Saturday after the Green Archers took an 87-77 win earlier in the day.
Harold Alarcon led the Fighting Maroons with 22 points, shooting 10-of-12 from the free throw line, while Nnoruka added 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals despite an injury scare in the third quarter.
Rey Remogat contributed nine points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Gerry Abadiano added eight points and five assists.
In what would be his final UAAP game, Cabañero led UST with 24 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The 22-year-old Cebuano endured three difficult seasons, including a 1-13 campaign in Season 85 (late 2022), before helping the Growling Tigers reach back-to-back Final Four appearances.
Gelo Crisostomo added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Collins Akowe chipped in 11 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.
Graduating senior Kyle Paranada contributed 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Padrigao struggled in his final game, scoring six points on 3-of-13 shooting.
The Scores:
UP (82) – Alarcon 22, Nnoruka 19, Remogat 9, Fortea 8, Abadiano 8, Torres 5, Stevens 5, Alter 4, Yñiguez 2, Felicilda 0, Bayla 0, Belmonte 0.
UST (81) – Cabañero 24, Crisostomo 15, Akowe 11, Paranada 10, Padrigao 6, Llemit 6, Acido 4, Buenaflor 4, Estacio 1, Laure 0.
Quarterscores: 19-11, 43-36, 69-62, 82-81
