De La Salle University’s reign in the World University Basketball Series came to an end after falling to last year’s runner-up Korean University, 85-95, on Monday at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The Green Archers had stamped their dominance over the Koreans in last year’s finals with a commanding 101-86 victory.
This time, however, Korea U made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself.
The hot-shooting Koreans opened the game on fire, racing to a 16-4 start before stretching the gap to 31-16 at the end of the first quarter.
KU shot an impressive 11-of-17 from the field in the opening frame, with Yun Kichan erupting for 15 of his game-high 26 points during that stretch.
By the second quarter, KU’s lead ballooned to as much as 27 points, 55-28, putting La Salle in a deep hole.
Refusing to go down quietly, Mike Phillips, Jacob Cortez, and Kean Baclaan spearheaded a late rally in the final period, where the Archers exploded for 31 points.
Still, the deficit proved too large to overcome.
Phillips, a graduating senior, closed out an impressive tournament with 30 points and 12 rebounds.
Baclaan and Cortez chipped in 18 and 13 points, respectively, while Mason Amos was limited to just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
La Salle began their campaign with an 89-84 win over National Chengchi University before cruising past the JUBF select team, 88-75.
Korean University, on the other hand, opened with a 75-71 victory over the University of the Philippines.
Hyeon Moonyu backed up Yun’s stellar performance with 21 points in the championship win.
KU is now only the second non-Philippine team to win the tournament, following NCCU’s title run in 2023.
The Scores:
KU 95 – Yun 26, Hyeon 21, Lee DG 13, Yang 11, Yoo 9, Park 4, Seok 4, Chung 3, Kim 2 Kim JHD 2, JH 2, Lee G 0, Lee DY 0.
DLSU 85 – Phillips 30, Baclaan 18, Cortez 13, Pablo 6, Abadam 5, Marasigan 5, Nwanko 4, Amos 2, Gollena 2, Macalalag 0.
Quarterscores: 31-16, 57-35, 75-51, 95-85.
