It will be De La Salle University against the University of the Philippines in the UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals for the third straight season.
Jacob Cortez played hero once again as fourth-ranked La Salle completed its upset of top-ranked National University, 78-73, to reach the Season 88 Finals on Saturday in front of 12,425 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Green Archers had taken the first game of the Final Four last Wednesday, 87-77, forcing a deciding second game.
La Salle became the third fourth seed to reach the championship series, following Season 76 University of Santo Tomas and Season 77 NU.
“If you’re gonna define how our season went, it’s really something we should be grateful for. That really tested the character of the team… it was a really nip-and-tuck affair, but these guys really showed up, they manned up, and they came out smarter in the second half,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson, who has yet to miss a UAAP Finals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The La Salle–UP trilogy begins on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Green Archers won two years ago before the Fighting Maroons reclaimed the throne last season.
La Salle swept its regular-season series against UP.
Down 69-71, Cortez took a gutsy step-back corner three to give the Green Archers a 72-71 lead, but PJ Palacielo tied the game again with a split from the free-throw line.
Cortez then went to work again, pulling up for a mid-range jumper to give La Salle a 74-72 advantage with 56.3 seconds remaining.
After a 24-second shot clock violation by the Green Archers and a costly turnover by Reinhard Jumamoy on the other end, Cortez extended their lead to three, making the first and missing the second free throw, 75-72.
“I wanna give credit to my teammates and coaches. We worked so hard for this moment,” said Cortez, who produced 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field with four rebounds and four assists.
“I know people see my shots but Mike (Phillips), JC (Macalalag), and Earl (Abadam) did a good job of defending our opponents. I think that’s what helped us win the game and helped me get to my groove,” added Cortez, the guard who steered San Beda to the top in NCAA Season 99.
Gelo Santiago initially secured the rebound but dribbled the ball off Omar John’s foot, resulting in a loose-ball scramble that was called a jump ball, with the possession arrow going La Salle’s way. Kean Baclaan then added two more points from the line with 3.6 seconds remaining, 77-72.
Abadam contributed 14 points, while Vhoris Marasigan added 10. Captain Phillips also recorded eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In his final game for the Bulldogs, Jake Figueroa scored 21 points, along with six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block.
Jolo Manansala, also graduating this season, had 13 points and four rebounds, while Palacielo also tallied 13 points.
Four other Bulldogs played their final game in an NU uniform: Steve Nash Enriquez, Mark Parks, Gelo Santiago, and Munmun Dela Cruz.
It was déjà vu of sorts for NU, which finished the elimination round with an 11-3 record but lost its final three games—including the two losses to La Salle in the Final Four—recalling its Season 76 campaign when the top-seeded Bulldogs fell twice to fourth-ranked UST to end their season in 2013.
The Scores:
DLSU (78) – Cortez 29, Abadam 14, Marasigan 10, Phillips 8, Macalalag 8, Baclaan 4, Amos 3, Pablo 2, Gollena 0.
NU (73) – Figueroa 21, Manansala 13, Palacielo 13, John 6, Padrones 6, Jumamoy 5, Garcia 4, Parks 4, Enriquez 1, Santiago 0, Francisco 0, Tulabut 0.
Quarterscores: 14-20, 30-36, 53-54, 78-73.
