While the ending didn’t go La Salle’s way, JC Macalalag had no second thoughts about taking the potential game-winner.
Macalalag had a chance to win the game with a three-point attempt but Far Eastern University came away with a close 84-83 win in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
‘Before I even got the ball, my confidence was there because I always practice that shot,’ the shifty shooter told the Inquirer.
‘Sadly, the ball didn’t go in but coach (Topex Robinson) told us that the faster we move on from this loss, the better. These experiences are really the ones that’ll strengthen you as a player. I’ll take it as a motivation to make sure that when I get a chance to take a shot like that again, I’ll make it.’
After Kirby Mongcopa’s late-game heroics, La Salle still had a chance to steal the win with the score stuck at 84-83 and 27 seconds left.
Macalalag got a well-timed look from beyond the arc as the clock expired, but the shot bounced out and the Green Archers slipped to the fourth seed at 6-5. He finished with 14 points and five assists.
Tough Final Four race ‘expected’La Salle, which at one point was in the running for a twice-to-beat advantage, is now sitting at fourth. FEU, meanwhile, stayed breathing for playoff contention.
The tight Final Four race, though, is something the Green Archers expected even well before the season began, according to Macalalag.
‘Even before this season, we knew it was going to be tough. All those teams prepared for this season so we just have to keep on pounding as a team to get the momentum and rhythm,’ he said.
‘It’s going to be a bigger chance for us to enter the Final Four if we can win our next games. Like I’ve been saying, all these teams prepared so we expected this kind of race,’ he added.
As of writing, the Tamaraws hold a 5-7 card as the second-worst team in the league, but a single win or a loss from other teams could propel them over La Salle, Ateneo (5-6) and Adamson (5-6).
The only safe team so far is National U, which holds not just the top seed but also a sure twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs with an 11-2 record.