Colegio de San Juan de Letran head coach Bonnie Tan always knew that his starting guard Fran Yu would show up in the clutch when it matters most.
That was proven true as the 5-foot-9 court general made several crucial baskets down the stretch as the Knights survived a last-gasp rally from University of Perpetual Help System DALTA to advance to the NCAA Season 97 finals on Sunday.
With Yu leading the backcourt during the dying minutes, Letran was able to regain the lead at 73-71 before Perpetual's Jielo Razon tied it all up again at 73.
The 23-year-old Yu then completed a three-point play opportunity that handed the defending champions a much-needed 76-73 cushion before they closed out the game with the victory.
"That's Fran Yu eh. Sa mga endgame, 'yun 'yung specialty niya so alam naman nila na yung opportunity to shine or to deliver on ganitong klaseng laro is important for their career," said Tan following their 77-75 wire-to-wire triumph.
"Dito nakikita 'yung galing, sa mga knockout games, sa mga crucial games, hindi 'yung sa mga one-sided games."
Yu, for his part, said he came up with those crucial baskets due to the trust given to him by Tan and his coaching staff.
"Maraming salamat kay coach Bonnie kasi kahit ang dami kong turnovers kanina, nandoon ako sa loob tsaka nagtitiwala siya sa akin na i-lead 'yung team na 'to," said Yu, who finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
—JMB, GMA News
