Joshua David and JD Cagulangan have a long history together, dating back to their days as backcourt leaders for La Salle Green Hills from 2014 to 2018.
Fast forward to UAAP Season 87, the two are now playing their final collegiate season – David for La Salle and Cagulangan for the University of the Philippines (UP).
However, in their first meeting this season – which was also a rematch of the Season 86 Finals – only David was on the court.
Cagulangan missed his second consecutive game for UP due to illness.
In the end, it was David’s La Salle that came out on top, securing a 68-56 victory over UP on Sunday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, witnessed by 16,106 fans decked out in green or maroon.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Siyempre sayang lang hindi kami naglaban ngayon, pero mas importante pa rin siyempre na healthy eh,” David shared.
“Sayang talaga pero tiwala lang din na sana healthy kami para maipakita namin yung mga kakayahan namin sa court.”
David is no stranger to setbacks, having been cut from the Season 82 team under coach Jermaine Byrd and missing Seasons 84 and 85 due to an ACL injury.
Now fully healthy, David continues to impress, punctuating his performance against the Fighting Maroons with 14 points and seven rebounds.
The pride of Angeles City, Pampanga, also showcased his shooting prowess, nailing 4-of-6 three-pointers while recording a plus-16 rating in 22 minutes of play.
“Ang tagal din namin nagkasama ni Maimai eh – buong high school din namin. So lagi rin namin sinasabi na pa-healthy lang tayo para makapaglaro tayo at makapag-enjoy pa kasi last year na natin ito sa UAAP,” David added.
With the win, La Salle improved to 6-1, claiming the top spot in the standings and holding the tiebreaker over UP due to the “winner over the other” rule.
