On a team that saw a number of players embrace the pressure of a high-stakes game, it was Joel Cagulangan who emerged the star of stars.
His dagger, step-back 3-pointer late capped an unlikely comeback for the UP Fighting Maroons, who climbed out of a 5-point deficit with two minutes left in overtime to beat Ateneo 72-69 for the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball title on Friday.
Cagulangan was brilliant in the extension, going toe to toe with the Blue Eagles' more experienced guards.
A sequence that included a transition basket, a 3-pointer, a crucial assist to Malick Diouf, and that steely long-distance basket certainly put Cagulangan's name in UP basketball lore.