Joaquin Tovera showed what he’s made of in his debut, helping defending champion De La Salle University open its title-retention bid in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament with an 89-87 escape over National University on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Tovera, an 18-year-old rookie out of Chino Hills High School in the United States, was unfazed by the bright lights of the country’s premier collegiate league, delivering 22 points in his very first UAAP game for the Green Archers.
But La Salle needed some luck and a timely play in the endgame to secure the win and survive NU’s fightback from a 14-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, 64-78.
“As always, it’s gonna be a battle until that final buzzer. We were able to pull away early but NU was able to get back. You just have to appreciate the way these guys responded. It’s not really an easy task to play NU. The guys are just contributing and helping each other our especially in the defensive end,” said Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson.
A massive 20-7 run by the Bulldogs trimmed their deficit to just a point, 84-85, with 2:44 remaining, but the two sides exchanged misses in the next few sequences before Doy Dungo gave the Green Archers an 88-84 cushion on a booming triple with 49.5 seconds left.
However, a split from the line by Mo Diassana and a fearless drive by Reinhard Jumamoy cut La Salle’s lead to one anew with just 6.3 seconds to go.
NU then fouled Jacob Cortez on the ensuing play. He missed both free throws, but Mason Amos came up with a huge offensive rebound over PJ Palacielo to regain possession for La Salle.
Tested at the free-throw line, Amos made one of his two freebies for the final scoreline, while Palacielo’s wide-open triple from the right corner went way short as time expired.
“At first, I was nervous but once I stepped on the court, I just wanna show what I have. It was a great experience,” said Tovera, who also had three steals in his 14 minutes and 21 seconds on the floor.
Luis Pablo also had a huge game with 16 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Dungo added 12 points. The duo will be part of the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 team in the 2026 Asian Games.
La Salle will look to make it two wins in a row on Wednesday when it takes on the University of Santo Tomas at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in its final game before Pablo and Dungo leave this weekend for Nagoya, Japan.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Meanwhile, NU will seek to enter the win column on Saturday against the University of the East at the Big Dome.
Tebol Garcia and Kenshin Padrones paced the Bulldogs with 14 points apiece, while Malian big man Diassana, playing his first game in two years, added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Palacielo also finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Jumamoy got nine points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
The Scores:
DLSU (89) – Tovera 22, Pablo 16, Dungo 12, J. Cortez 9, Abadam 9, Amos 6, Kulang 4, Macalalag 3, Kulang 2, M. Cortez 2, Gagate 2, Marasigan 2, Sardon 0.
NU (87) – Garcia 14, Padrones 14, Diasanna 12, Palacielo 10, Jumamoy 9, Reyes 8, Francisco 8, Laconsay 5, Alfanta 5, Cartel 2, Figueroa 0, Solomon 0.
Quarterscores: 31-24, 52-45, 73-64, 89-87.
