Call him “Ready Gerry.”
Veteran guard Gerry Abadiano heeded the call when defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) needed a spark to start an uprising against a dangerously desperate Ateneo de Manila University.
He even doubled up by torching the Blue Eagles with 16 points in the Fighting Maroons’ furious fourth quarter rally to complete their comeback from 16 down for a 79-75 victory that handed them the last Final Four twice-to-beat advantage in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Abadiano left the maroon-clad fans in awe — and the sea of blue pulling hair in frustration — with his clutch scoring display inside the Mall of Asia Arena.
Limited to just two points in the first three quarters, the graduating skipper — battle-tested and molded by experience — practiced patience and waited for his game to flow.
“I just didn’t stop,” said Abadiano, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 field goal shooting.
Abadiano opened the Fighting Maroons’ scoring with eight minutes left in the first quarter.
He went off the grid after that and even witnessed his squad go down 12-28 in the second period.
But the calm and composed veteran knew his moment would eventually come.
“I tried to be patient. I’m not really looking for that (scoring explosion),” he said.
Then came the payoff period, where he made Ateneo remember how he helped UP win two championships in the last three seasons.
Abadiano gave the Fighting Maroons their first taste of the lead at 60-58 with 6:18 left in the game, blasting a personal 6-0 run.