Evan Nelle did not need to filter his thoughts when asked about De La Salle's heartbreaking loss against the University of the Philippines in their semifinals showdown in the UAAP Season 84 over the week.
The Green Archers had forced a rubber match behind the 26-point explosion of Nelle, 83-80, in Game 1 but his presence was barely felt in their 78-74 defeat at the hands of the Fighting Maroons come Game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
De La Salle had led for most part of the match until the payoff period hit the four-minute mark.
It was a downward spiral from that point on as UP overcame a 10-point deficit after Carl Tamayo, Harold Alarcon, and Malick Diouf connived for a 12-2 run en route to a 73-all deadlock.
Tamayo had the last laugh and showed poise down the stretch when he delivered clutch free throws to ice the game.
The upset loss made Nelle lost for words. He expressed his thoughts candidly yet it was filled with frustration.
"We fell short. We didn't convert. we couldn't get stops and..." Nelle paused shortly. "We f***** up."
As simple as that at least for the 23-year-old Nelle, who struggled on a 2-of-12 shooting and finished with six points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Nelle lamented that the team was placed in a "rocky" position and took notice of how the Archers played good defense but were inconsistent offensively.
Such factors, for Nelle, created a lot of close games for the Taft-based squad as it earlier finished the elimination round at third place with a 9-5 record.
"We know we had them. We should've won this game. We really should have won this game. So much to learn talaga," said the former San Beda standout.
On a positive note, Nelle expressed gratitude to the La Salle faithful who were there to support their Season 84 campaign through thick and thin.
A thank you was not enough though as Nelle felt that he owed the green and white community an apology after failing to advance in the Finals.
"We'll take our learnings and we'll bounce back better," he said. "I just wanna say thank you, guys. Thank you sa lahat ng sumuporta sa amin. Sorry na we fell short, kayang kaya pero wala... kinapos."