The DLSU Green Archers survived a nail-biting finish as they bested the UE Red Warriors, 111-110 in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament, earlier today, October 15, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Jacob Cortez’s dynamic play led the Green-and-White in their victorious effort, notching 26 points, five assists, and four steals, aided by co-captains Earl Abadam and Mike Phillips, contributing 18 points apiece.
Precious Momowei stood tall for the Red Warriors, tallying a game-high 42 points and 13 rebounds. His efforts were supported by the backcourt of John Abate and Wello Lingolingo, scoring 25 and 24 points respectively.
Crimson court
With both squads determined to turn the tides in their campaigns, the Red Warriors drew first blood in the form of a John Abate long-range bomb, 3-0. Continued inside attacks and suffocating offense from the red shirts forced DLSU into a scoring drought, only to be ended by a Bright Nwanko layup at the eighth minute. As both sides fell into dry spells, UE guard Wello Lingolingo’s marksmanship came alive, capitalizing on multiple opportunities from beyond the arc. The Green-and-White relentlessly struck back, penetrating the post and striking from distance, highlighted by a three-pointer courtesy of Earl Abadam at the four minute mark, 14-11. The match slowly bled red as Lingolingo’s sweet shooting and Precious Momowei’s inside dominance willed UE to a safe 10-point cushion, capped off by a layup by the red shirts to seal the quarter at 33-23.
The Green-and-White welcomed the second quarter with instant high-octane offense, banking on another three-pointer by Abadam and a playmaking showcase directed by Kean Baclaan, assisting in Phillips’ personal run to trim the UE lead to three, 35-32. However, the Red Warriors relied on the steady offense of Momowei to keep them afloat, with support from the three-point arsenal of Abate, pushing the scoreline to 53-42. As both sides traded baskets, the lead ultimately fell to the red side of the arena as the Warriors outpaced the Archers. To the delight of the Lasallian faithful, DLSU finally fell on the fortunate side of the charity stripe, as they went perfect in the half’s twilight zone. However, Abate formulated his own five-point run to extend the lead of UE to 14, only to be answered by a Phillips putback to nail the half at 60-48.
Pandemonium erupts
The third quarter kicked off with intensity as Lingolingo was called for a technical foul for kicking his feet following a successful three-pointer. This gave Dungo the chance to convert a free throw, giving the quarter’s first score to La Salle, 63-49. The game remained hot-blooded as UE kept adding to their lead. Baclaan attempted to revive the crowd with three consecutive baskets, but Lingolingo shut the arena down with a quick three-pointer for UE. Despite Baclaan’s best efforts, the lead continued to grow, with Abate and Momowei also contributing crucial baskets, extending the margin to 75-60. The quarter then became a flurry of free throws, missed opportunities, and flashes of brilliance from both sides. As the final minutes ticked away, La Salle showed some fight, with Gollena making a key offensive rebound and putback to keep the game within striking distance, but UE’s lead stood strong heading into the final quarter, 82-74.
With under five minutes remaining in the game, UE built a slight lead as Momowei scored back-to-back baskets, including a putback to make it 89-80. Baclaan’s layup trimmed the gap, but Philips’ clutch putback brought DLSU closer at 89-84. In a chaotic sequence, Baclaan went down after a collision with Lingolingo—who was then ejected—while Abadam stepped in and hit two free throws to chip away at UE’s advantage, 89-86. Both teams then exchanged baskets as Abate’s tough two extended UE’s lead, but Cortez responded with a quick layup. Phillips’ huge chase-down block was called a goaltend, but DLSU kept fighting, sparked by Jcee Macalalag’s steal leading to a rebound from Phillips. Cortez then hit two more shots, including a massive three-pointer to give DLSU a 98-93 lead. Momowei and Abate retaliated to make it 98-all, sending the game into overtime after Cortez missed the final deciding shot.
Taking over
UE struck first in overtime with quick baskets from Nico Mulingtapang and Caoile to establish their lead, then capitalized on a DLSU turnover and a foul by Phillips as Momowei sank two free throws, 104-98. Pablo stopped the bleeding with a layup, but a technical foul on the DLSU bench gave UE another point at the line, 105-100. However, Abadam responded with a strong drive. With under two minutes left, Phillips began to cramp up and had to be subbed out for Gollena, who calmly knocked down both free throws to cut the lead to one, 105-104. Momowei answered with another basket, but Abadam came right back as the Archers inched closer. Macalalag then came up with a crucial steal as Cortez drew a foul on the other side and sank both free throws to give DLSU a 108-107 lead. As Macalalag cramped up, Cortez kept his foot on the gas, hitting a tough fadeaway with 23.3 seconds left for a 110-107 cushion. After securing a rebound on the next UE miss, Cortez was fouled again—splitting his shots at the line to increase their lead, 111-107. Abate drilled a buzzer-beating three, but it wasn’t enough as DLSU escaped with a thrilling 111-110 win behind Cortez’s clutch heroics.
After their victory, Phillips recalled his feelings upon the pivotal moment of Baclaan going down with an injury, channeling the team’s somber emotions into a fiery redemption. “Everyone gathered and [we] said we got to win it for him, and win it for Mason [Amos].” Cortez echoed the co-captain’s sentiments, stressing the importance of stepping up and using that pain as motivation. “It was time for us to step up, and not only did I step up, the rest of the team stepped up,” he shared. He further credited the rest of their resilience not only after losing a key piece of their rotation, but also after a subpar performance.
Coming off the thrilling victory, the DLSU Green Archers seek to end the first round on a high note as they set their sights on a high-stakes Finals rematch against the defending champions UP Fighting Maroons this Sunday, October 19, 4 pm, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 111 – Cortez 26, Abadam 18, Phillips 18, Baclaan 17, Marasigan 8, Pablo 8, Gollena 4, Macalalag 4, Nwankwo 4, Daep 3, Dungo 1, Melencio 0
UE 110 – Momowei 42, Abate 25, Lingolingo 24, Caoile 6, Mulingtapang 4, Tanedo 4, Datumalim 3, Robles 2, Cabero 0, Lagat 0, Malaga 0
Quarter Scores: 23-33, 48-60, 74-82, 98-98, 111-110
