The DLSU Green Archers fulfilled their championship return after dethroning their trilogical rivals, UP Fighting Maroons, 80-72, in Game Three of the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Finals earlier tonight, December 17, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. After being the unexpected underdogs during the elimination round, the Green Archers settled for the fourth seed in the Final Four and clawed their way to the Finals to bag their 11th championship title against all odds.
Capping off his eventful five-year UAAP career, Mike Phillips was proclaimed the Finals Most Valuable Player, averaging 13.7 points and 13.3 rebounds, spearheading the Green-and-White’s compelling season-narrative shift.
On the brink of glory
History is in the air, and the Big Dome roared at a frenetic pace as the winner-takes-all matchup opened. The margin for error disappeared in Game Three, and both La Salle and UP wasted no time in asserting themselves in the decider, while the 24,339-strong crowd traded cheers to rally their support.
DLSU struck first, with Jacob Cortez drilling a three-pointer off a JC Macalalag kick-out, giving them an early 3-0 edge. The Fighting Maroons answered with an energy of their own, scrambling in transitions for quick shots inside the paint. However, La Salle continued to chip away at baskets. Even with an early lead change in favor of UP at 9-7, Phillips immediately equalized at 9-all. The eager team captain then went on to a 14-point run against Reyland Torres’ seven-point clapbacks that saw the high-stakes first quarter close with 19-16, in favor of La Salle.
In the half’s shrinking minutes
Surging the already intense energy, Francis Nnoruka threw the second quarter wide with a slam that helped turn the tide for UP, 19-18. Still, La Salle held firm, with Phillips continuing to stabilize the offense, including salvaging a missed trey from Kean Baclaan, 21-20.
In a series decider, memory can either haunt or fuel a player. After Vhoris Marasigan’s last-minute three kissed the rim and fell away in Game Two, the La Salle swingman continued to play with his best foot forward, hitting back-to-back baskets and making a 26-22 game. The Green Archers, led by Phillips, Baclaan, and Mason Amos, continued to find seams against UP’s tightening defensive wall. As a result, the Lasallians’ offensive run created the biggest lead of the first half, 32-23, forcing the Fighting Maroons to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Amos added to the cushion with an inside finish, but UP refused to fade as Gani Stevens chipped in a basket, and a three-pointer from Gerry Abadiano cut the deficit to 34-28, reigniting the Diliman crowd. Momentum swung again when Cortez fell into a scoring drought that turned into a costly turnover, allowing UP to trim the gap to four, 38-34. This time, La Salle called a timeout as the lead continued to shrink.
The final minutes of the half grew increasingly physical. Macalalag was given an unsportsmanlike foul following contact with Rey Remogat, who calmly sank his free throws to pull UP within one, 38-37. The teams traded baskets down the stretch before free throws from Remogat tied the game at 40-all, then nudged the Fighting Maroons ahead, 41-40.
La Salle called a timeout in the closing seconds, but the new spur refused to be swung. The Fighting Maroons carried a slim but crucial one-point lead, and the arena held its breath as the decider entered halftime with 41-40.
Tug-of-war for momentum
With the title at stake, both squads returned from the break determined to set the tone. For La Salle, Earl Abadam found himself open in the corner, punching in a slam to set the tone. The title challengers were locked into a back-and-forth duel as the Lasallians managed to retake the lead with triples from Amos and Cortez, backed by their hustle on the boards, 48-45. UP managed to get going as Nnoruka ignited the Maroon offense through consecutive points, with Harold Alarcon supporting him with his midrange mastery. Remogat stayed dangerous as he chipped in a trey from downtown to extend their lead, 57-52.
The Taft-based squad kept their composure despite the onslaught of the Maroons, taking advantage of their inside presence and strong defensive schemes to spark a 6-0 run and briefly take the lead, courtesy of a Baclaan and-one. However, the Iskos retook the lead as the quarter came to an end, 59-58, again with a one-point advantage to play for in the final period.
Atop the mountain once again
With 10 minutes left and the championship on the line, pressure began to creep up as the new-age rivals began the quarter cold. The Archers would be the first to put an end to their dry spell as Phillips positioned himself in the paint for a quick putback with Co-captain Abadam drilling a three-pointer to cap off a 5-0 run, 63-59. However, this advantage would be short-lived as Remogat responded by delivering a counter run to push UP ahead, 67-64.
Despite the massive break for the Fighting Maroons, the Green Archers remained undeterred as they tightened their defense and forced UP into fouls for trips at the line to keep them within striking distance. Faced with crucial opportunities, the Lasallians would capitalize as they displayed good ball movement to find Marasigan open for the go-ahead basket with 3:30 left on the clock, 68-67. The hungry challengers secured another stop and the reliable x-factor, fueled to bounce back from Game Two, initiated contact in the paint as Marasigan delivered an and-one basket to extend their advantage with the game nearing its two-minute mark.
With the stars aligning in their favor, the Taft-based squad continued to pile pressure on their rivals, forcing them to turn the ball over and secure trips to the line, 74-69. With 31 seconds left on the clock, La Salle delivered on a title-defining stop to send Macalalag for a fastbreak finish. Though Torres responded with a determined top-of-the-key trey, time fell on the Archers’ side. Following consecutive free throws, their redemption arc came to its completion as they cemented their place in glory atop the UAAP mountain once again, while the Maroon seniors ended their careers in a first runner-up heartbreak, 80-72.
Through a long and winding road, Green Archers Head Coach Topex Robinson attributed their faith throughout their struggles, describing the season as “a journey worth remembering” and the hardest to win in his playing and coaching career. “This has been the most nervous I [have been] in my life, not only as a coach, but also as a player… [UP] had our number heading into Game Three,” he reflected.
In a trilogy defined by crucial moments and key adjustments, Robinson shed light on taking risks throughout the game and attributed the idea of deploying three big men to Cortez. “‘Di bale nang matalo tayong sumugal, kaysa mag-ingat [lang] tayo.” Coach Robinson reflected after taking a leap of faith, which crowned them champions of the UAAP once again, claiming, “The team that will gamble will win the championship.”
(It doesn’t matter if we lose. We’ll take the risk instead of playing it safe.)
The Scores:
DLSU – Phillips 25, Amos 11, Marasigan 10, Cortez 9, Abadam 9, Baclaan 8, Macalalag 4, Pablo 4, Gollena 0
UP – Remogat 21, Nnoruka 16, Torres 11, Abadiano 7, Alarcon 6, Stevens 6, Bayla 3, Alter 2, Belmonte 0, Fortea 0, Palanca 0, Yñiguez
Quarter Scores: 19-16, 40-41, 58-59, 80-72
