Jacob Cortez made a memorable homecoming at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena, delivering clutch heroics in his debut for De La Salle University as the Green Archers edged a determined Adamson University, 60-58, to open their UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament title redemption campaign on a high note Saturday evening.
A former Tiger Cub, Cortez appeared right at home on the familiar court. He hit crucial baskets down the stretch to help La Salle withstand the Soaring Falcons’ late rally, led by Cedrick Manzano and Matty Erolon.
“It feels great to play in QPAV. I used to practice here and remember those sessions vividly. Seeing students doing PE today, I could almost picture myself in their shoes back then,” shared Cortez, son of La Salle legend Mike Cortez.
“It feels amazing to play for La Salle, and even better that we came out with a win today.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Cortez sank two free throws to give La Salle a 51-46 lead early in the final period, but Adamson quickly responded. AJ Fransman hit a triple, before Ray Allen Torres converted a midrange jumper.
Manzano then added a reverse layup to seize a narrow 53-51 advantage with 3:50 remaining.
After Mike Phillips and rookie Earl Medina exchanged baskets, Cortez answered with a layup followed by a floater in consecutive possessions. That put the Green Archers ahead 57-56 with 1:37 left.
Cortez then drew a charge against Emmanuel Anabo, grabbed the rebound from Erolon’s potential go-ahead shot, and dished to Mason Amos on the left wing for the dagger three-pointer with just 7.9 seconds remaining. Amos had struggled earlier, missing seven of his first eight attempts.
“People often underestimate Adamson. They always give us a tough fight and force low-scoring games, which is exactly what they wanted,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson. “This is just the start of our season. We still have a lot of work and challenges ahead, but we’re focused on improving as we go.”
Team captain Mike Phillips led with a dominant double-double, finishing with 17 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and one assist.
Highly-touted rookie Lebron Daep also impressed in 15 minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing three rebounds, and contributing two steals and one assist.
Amos finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. Meanwhile, fellow transferees Kean Baclaan (one point, 0-of-6 shooting) and Luis Pablo (scoreless in nearly 11 minutes) struggled in their first outing for La Salle.
La Salle will next face host school University of Santo Tomas on Saturday, September 27, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
For Adamson, Manzano led the Soaring Falcons with a near double-double of 19 points and nine rebounds, along with one block and one assist. Meanwhile, Erolon added 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Torres contributed eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Adamson will look to bounce back against defending champion University of the Philippines on Wednesday, September 24, still at the QPAV Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU (60) – Phillips 17, Cortez 16, Daep 8, Amos 6, Gollena 3, Marasigan 3, Abadam 2, Dungo 2, Nwankwo 2, Baclaan 1, Macalalag 0, Gomez 0, Pablo 0.
AdU (58) – Manzano 19, Erolon 10, Torres 8, Fransman 5, Medina 5, Ojarikre 4, Perez 4, Tumaneng 2, Anabo 1, Montebon 0, Demisana 0, Barcelona 0, C. Ronzone 0, A. Ronzone 0.
Quarterscores: 15-18, 33-25, 49-46, 60-58.
