MAROONS BACK AS CHAMPS

The UAAP crown finally found its way back to Diliman after taking Il-turns in hack-to-back seasons

- By JOHN BRYAN ULANDAY

Righting the ship after mishaps in 2022 and 2023, the country's premier State U took care of business at the finish line and pulled off a 66-62 win over La Salle to rule the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball in front of 25,248 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Maroons were blanked in the last two games of Seasons 85 and 86 by Ateneo and La Salle, respectively, for a couple of bridesmaid finishes.

Facing the spectre of the same windup, the Maroons came through with the needed killer punch this time and thus hoisted a second title in four years.

And it was Francis Lopez, in a redemption from a big-time foul-up from the line in their 76-75 Game 2 defeat, who came through at the finish.

With the Maroons up by a precarious point in the final minute, Lopez drained a dagger triple to give UP a 64-60 lead that proved to be enough to carry the team to the mountaintop.