De La Salle University climbed the UAAP summit against all odds, reaching the pinnacle of success despite entering the Finals as the No. 4 seed.
Vhoris Marasigan redeemed himself from his missed three in Game 2, sinking clutch shots to propel La Salle to an 80-72 victory over the University of the Philippines in the sudden-death Game 3 of the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Championship.
The trilogy-deciding game, which marked the final appearances of Mike Phillips and Bright Nwankwo for the Green Archers, and Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda for the Fighting Maroons, drew a crowd of 24,339 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Mike Phillips also turned in his best performance of the series, overcoming a limited offensive output in the first two games, leaving La Salle as a two-time champion after previously winning it all in Season 86.
This triumph gave the Green Archers their 11th UAAP crown in history, making them only the second fourth seed to claim the championship, following National University in Season 77 (2014).
La Salle had taken Game 1, 74-70, before UP responded with a 66-63 win in Game 2 to force the deciding match.
