With the NU Bulldogs busted out from contention, the DLSU Green Archers clinched their third consecutive Finals appearance after delivering a commanding 78-73 triumph in their UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament do-or-die showdown earlier tonight, December 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jacob Cortez anchored La Salle’s offensive charge with a relentless 29-point performance, earning him Player of the Game honors. Helping steer the Green-and-White toward a decisive finish were Earl Abadam and Vhoris Marasigan, who added steady double-digit production with 14 and 10 markers, respectively.
The Bulldogs’ third-place effort was spearheaded by Team Captain Jake Figueroa, capping off his five-year UAAP career with a 21-point outing. Jolo Manansala and PJ Palacielo both scored 13 points, bolstering the Bulldogs’ late push before ultimately conceding their top-seeded prowess.
Playing catch
The DLSU Green Archers and NU Bulldogs ignited the coliseum from the tipoff with one goal in mind: keep their team’s championship dream alive. The blue jerseys came out aggressive with Figueroa and Omar John converting early baskets. However, Abadam kept the Archers within striking distance with timely jumpers and a three-pointer, briefly tying the game at 10-all. Despite the Green-and-White’s efforts, turnovers and NU’s tight defense allowed the Bulldogs to pull ahead, with Manansala, Palacielo, and Mark Parks extending the lead to 20-14 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter became a battle of physicality and strategy, as both teams struggled to convert under pressure. The Green-and-White attempted to rally, with Cortez, Marasigan, and Abadam chipping in key baskets, but the Bulldogs’ relentless playmaking and timely free throws kept them ahead. Palacielo and Manansala pushed the lead further, 34-23, before Abadam and Mike Phillips helped the Archers trim the deficit slightly. NU maintained control in the closing moments, with Figueroa and Philips finishing strong, sending the Bulldogs into halftime leading, 36-30, and the Taft-based squad prepared for a comeback in the second half.
Setting the tone
After rallying in the center court prior to the halftime break, the Green-and-White opened the latter half by taking advantage of NU’s aggression for trips at the line, 36-32. Cortez sustained his hot shooting as he netted consecutive baskets, highlighted by a top-of-the-key trey to cut the lead to one, 38-37. With the tone of the game shifting to the Lasallians, Macalalag followed through with an and-one basket; with Phillips and Pablo contributing inside the paint to take the lead, 43-40. Tebol Garcia kept the frontrunners’ offense afloat through the offensive onslaught, however Cortez responded by draining a long-range triple, 46-42.
La Salle continued to attack the paint with multiple trips at the charity stripes, however splitting their attempts. Palacielo, making his presence felt in the paint, punished the Lasallian bigs which was followed by Figueroa rallying the navy shirts with an isolation triple and free throws from another long-ranged attempt, 50-49. NU’s ace then succeeded his five-to-nothing run by finding John for the inside basket to retake the lead, 51-50. Macalalag would answer by giving DLSU a short lead, but Palacielo delivered on an and-one hook shot to give NU the advantage from the duel, 54-53, as the Bulldogs sustained the lead to close the period.
All or nothing
With a trip to the Finals on the line, both teams began giving their all on the hardwood floor as the game ensued into a back-and-forth physical battle. In the opening minutes of the last quarter, the Sampaloc-based squad held the advantage with a triple from Jumamoy, despite La Salle forcing a deadlock previously, 63-60. The Taft-based squad looked to Cortez to shine in the clutch and add to his growing 19-point display. Cortez stayed composed with a gutsy stepback three to cancel a triple from Manansala, 66-64. Then, Phillips backed up the star guard to put the match momentarily at a deadlock, but Figueroa led the way for the Bulldogs as a duel ensued between him and Marasigan, 71-69.
The game approached the twilight zone with NU holding on to a one-possession advantage. However Cortez’s onslaught persevered as he knocked down a stepback three-pointer to put La Salle ahead, 72-71, rallying behind a hyped up Lasallian crowd. Palacielo would be fouled right after and split his baskets, but Cortez countered with another significant bucket with less than a minute to play, 74-72. With a third-straight Finals appearance knocking on their door, La Salle pulled out all the stops on defense, securing crucial stops with Pablo forcing a turnover from Jumamoy with 10.1 seconds remaining on the clock. With NU in the penalty, they sent Cortez and Baclaan to the line, with the latter knocking down all attempts to propel La Salle to 77-72. With time running out, Manansala weaved a hail mary, but his trey attempt was fouled hard by Cortez. The forward was unable to hit his shots at the line as he sustained an injury with Enriquez making a trip to the line in his place; Enriquez only converted one, with the last being a violation. Amos was fouled on the inbound and his succeeding free throw brought the game to an end, 78-73, as the Green Archers became the first fourth-seed team since UAAP Season 82 to reach the championship series.
Following the victory, DLSU Head Coach Topex Robinson reflected on their tumultuous run and expressed his gratitude for the team for persevering through and keeping their faith, “It tested the character of the team and the biggest win for us is [that] we let our faith guide us in this game.”
Player of the Game Cortez proceeded to credit his teammates’ contributions for the victory—highlighting defensive stops made by Phillips, Macalalag, and Abadam to contain Figueroa. “I want to give credit to my teammates and coaches. We all worked so hard for this moment…. Mike [Phillips], Jcee [Macalalag], and Earl [Abadam] did a good job defending [Jake] Figueroa [as] it was a tough 21 [points] for him,” the point guard reflected. When asked what a championship would mean for him, Cortez reiterated his dream to don the Green-and-White as a kid watching their games, “It would mean a lot to me, it’s my dream to play for La Salle, I’ve been watching them since I was a kid [and] now I’m in the spot where I’m in the Finals with them.”
With the victory setting up a grudge match with the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, December 10, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Robinson highlighted his deep respect for the titleholders. He noted that this regard stems from all of the Archers’ Finals encounters with the defending champions, “We respect them so much. It’s their fifth straight Finals appearance so it’s a good challenge for us.” With leadership playing a central role in their clash, Robinson also shared how leaders are built for his squad, pointing specifically to Cortez’s trials and tribulations during the season. “As leaders, we always build leaders. You can only build leaders if you’re gonna throw them in the jungle. Knowing whatever happens, we’ll always be behind him [as well as] everybody wearing this jersey that’s gonna show up on Wednesday.”
The Scores:
DLSU 78 – Cortez 29, Abadam 14, Marasigan 10, Phillips 8, Macalalag 8, Baclaan 4, Amos 3, Pablo 2, Gollena 0
NU 73 – Figueroa 21, Manansala 13, Palacielo 13, John 6, Padrones 6, Jumamoy 5, Garcia 4, Parks 4, Enriquez 1, Santiago 0, Francisco 0, Tulabut 0
Quarter Scores: 14-20, 30-36, 53-54, 78-73
