MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino-American forward Zavier Lucero endured a shooting slump at the worst possible time for the University of the Philippines (UP).

Lucero couldn't buy a basket in their do-or-die game against De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 84 Final 4, and his drought continued in the first half of their finals Game 1 against the Ateneo de Manila University.

The forward, who shot 57.25% from the field in the elimination round, was 0-of-9 from the field against La Salle and missed his first four shots against the Blue Eagles.

Yet his struggles didn't shake Lucero's confidence, who knew he could find other ways to contribute for the Fighting Maroons.

"I've had worse games in the past, too. I've been playing the game a long time, I know that basketball is gonna be like that sometimes," said Lucero.

"So, as long as I can try to do the other things, it's not all about putting the basketball in the hoop. We got a lot of guys that can score," he added.

Lucero finally got his rhythm in the second half against Ateneo through his work on the offensive boards. He scored two crucial putbacks down the stretch of regulation, one of which turned into a three-point play that trimmed the Blue Eagles' lead to three points, 70-67, with 32 seconds to play.

He also drilled a game-tying three-pointer in overtime, helping UP pull away for an 81-74 win in Game 1.

• GAME RECAP: UP shocks Ateneo anew, on verge of UAAP crown

"It felt good to see a couple go through, for sure," said Lucero, who went 6-of-10 from the field in the second half and overtime to finish with 17 points along with 13 rebounds -- seven of which came on the offensive end.

Lucero intends to keep doing the little things for UP, even if he has now found his rhythm on offense. Their work on the defensive end was what won the game for them, particularly how they defended Ateneo center Ange Kouame down the stretch.

"We know how good offensively Ateneo is, so as a team we really gotta lock in and play together on defense," he noted. "Carl (Tamayo) did a great job on Kouame, and all of our guys did a good job of trying to communicate and play through whatever we were going through, and just play hard."

"We showed the last game the heart that this team has, so I'm glad we kept it going," he added.

Game 2 of the finals series is on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.