The DLSU Green Archers snatched Game One of the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Finals in a hard-fought duel over the UP Fighting Maroons, 74-70, earlier tonight, December 10, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. This marks their first victory in Game One of their trilogy as the defending champions claimed victories at their previous opening matchups.
Jacob Cortez drilled the knockout punch to take a one-game advantage as he took home the Player of the Game award with 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. Doy Dungo scored 15 points off the bench, while Kean Baclaan supported with nine points to carry the scoring load.
Harold Alarcon showcased his midrange prowess for the Fighting Maroons with a game-high 34 points, but it wasn’t enough to carry his team to victory. Francis Nnoruka backed him up with 15 points.
Championship energy
The DLSU Green Archers battled through and overcame three straight do-or-die games to get back in the Finals and set the stage for the trilogy. With momentum on their side, Marasigan and Cortez attacked the Fighting Maroons’ defense and scored inside the paint, 5-2, to control the pace of the game. La Salle dictated the game into a half-court offense as the game swung back-and-forth with both teams finding their offensive groove. Dungo led the Lasallian offense as he scored nine points off the bench, matching Alarcon’s offensive explosion, 19-17. Baclaan then began to shoulder their sets, but Alarcon brilliantly completed offensive isolation plays to bring the lead down to only one at the end of the first quarter, 25-24.
To start the second quarter, Alarcon continued to showcase his offensive bag by drilling a midrange jumper inside the three-point line, 28-25. The Green Archers started missing easy shots inside the paint but their defense kept them afloat, preventing Alarcon from scoring baskets. Despite Mike Phillips giving them another opportunity on the offensive side, it was a struggle for the Green-and-White to score a basket. Dungo once again became a spark plug off and scored a three-ball to inch closer, 31-30. With exactly two minutes left before halftime, La Salle Head Coach Topex Robinson called a timeout, but after scramble play, Fortea drilled a three-point shot with Baclaan answering back quickly, 34-33. La Salle could not find an answer for Alarcon’s offensive outburst as he drilled in another jumper, 36-33. The Green Archers found themselves down three points going into the second half.
Making it count
As both squads returned from the break, a back-and-forth battle ensued between the title challengers as Cortez and leading scorer Alarcon sparked the offensive showdown, 44-41. The Fighting Maroons sustained their tight defense, forcing the Green Archers to turn the ball over but struggled to put up points on the board. La Salle on the other hand, found luck with their fastbreak opportunities as Marasigan converted on a quick basket, assisted by Cortez to cut the lead to one, 44-43. Phillips continued to struggle in his inside battle with Nnoruka as the latter drained consecutive baskets to kickstart a Maroon onslaught. To follow up the Maroons’ big man, Reyland Torres and Alarcon punished the lacking Lasallian defense as the lead ballooned to a game-high eight, 58-49. Cortez would stop the Archers’ bleeding, injecting life to their offense with consecutive points as they entered the final period at a five-point deficit, 58-53.
Coming into the final period, La Salle amped up their intensity on defense, securing crucial stops down the stretch. To get within striking distance, the Archers answered every Maroon basket with one of their own to limit the lead to a one-possession game, 63-60. Their inside presence would finally be felt as Luis Pablo rejected a shot from Alarcon, a sign of things to come as the game progressed. The former Fighting Maroon also contributed offensively, battling for boards for second chance opportunities and positioning himself for easy baskets, 66-64. The chess match persisted as their new-age rivals replied as Nnoruka forced Cortez into a mismatch. Despite UP’s resilience, it would be the Lasallians who took advantage of the momentum swings as they found looks in the paint while Pablo led the defense for stops. Their defensive intensity proved fruitful as Pablo’s inside basket finally gave La Salle the lead, 70-68, their first since the opening period. La Salle fought to sustain the lead as the big man provided three crucial stops with Gerry Abadiano ending the Diliman-based squad’s drought, 71-70. With time winding down at 27 seconds, Cortez once again showed up when it mattered as he knocked down the dagger trey, 74-70. The Lasallians claimed another crucial stop to force the turnover and despite missed shots from the stripe, the Green-and-White held on to the victory, breaking their Game One curse.
After their back-and-forth battle, Robinson expressed his joy on the Green Archers sustaining Alarcon’s onslaught. He then praised Baclaan for his performance down the stretch and was a key reason for the clutch play by Cortez.
Cortez also commended his backcourt partner Baclaan for his performance down the stretch and Dungo who did not see minutes in the Final Four decider against NU. “He doesn’t know that he will be in rotation, but if he does he will be ready because of the extra work,” Cortez added, applauding Dungo who stayed ready when his number was called.
Now one step closer to regaining the title, the Green Archers look to close out the UP Fighting Maroons in Game Two of the best-of-three Finals Series on Sunday, December 14, at 4 pm, at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 74 – Cortez 21, Dungo 15, Baclaan 9, Phillips 7, Pablo 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 6, Abadam 2, Amos 0, Gollena 0, Nwankwo 0
UP 70 – Alarcon 34, Nnoruka 13, Abadiano 8, Torres 7, Fortea 5, Remogat 3, Alter 0, Bayla 0, Belmonte 0, Felicida 0, Stevens 0, Yniguez 0
Quarter Scores: 25-24, 33-36, 53-58, 74-70
