After the mandatory postgame press conference, where UE marked its first victory in two years, Paulo Hubalde returned to the dugout and was greeted with a splash of ice-cold water and the team's drinks.
The celebration had begun moments earlier. Rookie Gene Carillo cried his heart out. Lance Sambroso shouted the university's battle cry. Toper Lagat waved his arms while foreign student-athlete JM Edokou beamed with a smile.
Assistant coaches Allan Caidic and RJ Argamino threw their fists in the air.
"This is what winning feels like, am I right, boys?" Hubalde told Lagat and Mo Tañedo during the postgame press conference.
In just his ninth game as UE's head coach, Hubalde steered the Red Warriors to their first victory of the season, a 53-47 triumph over the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
It was also their first win since Oct. 26, 2024, when Jack Santiago was still at the helm in UAAP Season 87.
The victory came in an ugly offensive outing, with UE and Adamson combining for just 39 field goals from 132 attempts. But the numbers mattered little to a team that had endured 30 consecutive losses, the second-longest losing streak in UAAP history.
After taking over from Chris Gavina, Hubalde finally gave the Red Warriors the breakthrough they had been chasing.
The celebration represented a moment of relief and joy, but it is far from the culmination of Hubalde's work. For the coach, the victory is not a finish line. Rather, it is the spark the program needed to begin building something bigger.
"This is what we all worked and waited for," Hubalde told ESPN. "Our work does not end here. This is not the end of what we are building. We are not aiming for one win.
"This is what we have been aiming for for a very long time. But I should not let this get into my head. This should not get into our heads. We should stay humble because this is just one win. We still have a lot to improve."
The breakthrough had been coming, as UE had already pushed several opponents to their limits during Hubalde's brief tenure. They kept pace with UST and UP before taking La Salle to overtime and nearly pulling off an upset.
The Red Warriors had shown flashes of what they could become, with each player beginning to carve out a role in Hubalde's system.
Lagat has emerged as UE's leading offensive weapon, shouldering much of the scoring burden and playing heavy minutes.
Tañedo has provided secondary playmaking and shot creation, giving the team another option beyond its star guard.
Carillo has embraced the role of utility player, doing the dirty work on both ends of the floor.
Sambroso, meanwhile, brings energy off the bench, injecting much-needed speed into an offense that has struggled to find its rhythm.
Cole Cruz-Dumont offers outside shooting, while DJ Robles has become UE's most dependable local big man, often tasked with containing opposing foreign student-athletes.
Edokou and Ola Ajani have also shared frontcourt responsibilities as UE looks to match up with different opponents.
These contributions form the foundation of the program that Hubalde hopes to develop over the long term.
"The boys have continued to stick on the mentality that we can get one and we can continue to get more wins," Hubalde said.
UE has won 18 UAAP championships in its history, but none since 1985.
Hubalde, who suited up for the Red Warriors as a point guard in the early 2000s, wants his players to carry the belief sparked by their first victory into the rest of the season and beyond."
"Let us continue this," Hubalde said when asked about his message to the team after the win.
"Right now, because of this, we believe.
"They are starting to do that, even before this win.
"If we can do more, then let's do more."
The challenge now is to turn that belief into a habit. One victory cannot erase two years of frustration, but it can give a young team a glimpse of what is possible when its work finally pays off.
"Once we get a taste of winning, we'll surely be hungry for more," Hubalde said.
"We're going to build on this victory, and, hopefully, this momentum continues, not just for this season but well into the next one."