Jacob Cortez is built for moments like the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Finals.
Cold off the bench, Cortez drilled the differential three-pointer as De La Salle University shrugged off Harold Alarcon’s 34 points to outlast the University of the Philippines, 74-70, in Game 1 of the UAAP men’s basketball Finals trilogy.
The first match-up lived up to the hype on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, packed with 18,210 fans.
The fourth-ranked Green Archers will aim for the championship in Game 2 on Sunday at the same venue. On the other hand, the Fighting Maroons look to extend the series to a decisive Game 3.
De La Salle has swept all three of its meetings with UP this season, including a 72-69 win in the first round and an 87-82 victory in the second round.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Knowing that this is gonna be something that is an emotionally-packed game, we’re just fortunate and blessed that we were able to sustain the onslaught of Harold Alarcon. He really took over. We just didn’t stop when UP was making those big runs,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
Cortez, who had been benched since the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, was reinserted after Alarcon cut UP’s deficit to one on a fastbreak layup with 46.5 seconds left, 70-71.
No warm-up was needed.
Cortez sank a stepback triple in front of Reyland Torres with 27.4 seconds remaining, extending the Green Archers’ lead to four, 74-70.
Even though Vhoris Marasigan and Mike Phillips missed all four of their remaining free throws, keeping a window open for UP, that four-point cushion held as Terrence Fortea failed twice from deep on the other end.
But for Cortez to hit what ultimately became the dagger, La Salle had to rally from a nine-point deficit, 49-58, late in the third quarter, which they cut to five entering the fourth, 53-58.
Still down 65-68 with over five minutes left, Mike Phillips thundered in a dunk, and Luis Pablo tied the game with a free throw split at 4:04.
Pablo then drained a short stab in front of Francis Nnoruka at 3:26 to give the Green Archers the lead for good, as their defense held firm.
“I just like to give credit to Kean and kay Doy. Doy stayed ready… Kean did a good job playing off the bench for me. I’m just so proud of them,” said Cortez, who finished with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Sophomore guard Doy Dungo added 15 points, matching Alarcon basket for basket in the first half.
Kean Baclaan contributed nine points and six assists, while Phillips had seven points and nine rebounds. Pablo posted seven points, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Alarcon scored a career-best 34 points — the most by any player in a Finals game since Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena tallied 38 in the title-clinching 99-81 win over UP on Dec. 5, 2018.
The graduating guard from Silay City went 12-of-22 from the field and added two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the defeat.
Nnoruka finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Rey Remogat was limited to three points on 1-of-8 shooting but contributed six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The Scores:
DLSU (74) – Cortez 21, Dungo 15, Baclaan 9, Phillips 7, Pablo 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 6, Abadam 2, Gollena 0, Amos 0, Nwankwo 0.
UP (70) – Alarcon 34, Nnoruka 13, Abadiano 8, Torres 7, Fortea 5, Remogat 3, Belmonte 0, Stevens 0, Bayla 0, Yñiguez 0, Felicilda 0, Alter 0.
Quarterscores: 25-24, 33-36, 53-58, 74-70.
