It will be the UP Fighting Maroons taking on the NU Bulldogs in the Finals of the Filoil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup.
Rey Remogat rained down on La Salle's parade in the Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive, while also rescuing the University of the Philippines' title defense after a well-earned 83-78 win, Sunday at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.
The Fighting Maroons had to battle back for majority of the highly-anticipated semifinal matchup between the modern-day rivals and were still behind by one, 72-73, inside the last two minutes.
It was at that point that Remogat channeled his inner JD Cagulangan and hit a booming triple to send State U ahead, 75-73, with exactly a minute remaining.
Following another defensive stop, he went back to the same spot beyond the arc and hit another long-range missile over the outstretched arms of Jacob Cortez for a 78-73 UP lead with 23 ticks to go.
"Gusto ko lang ibalik yung tiwala na binigay ng coaches and teammates ko sa'kin. 'Di maganda yung first half ko, pero sinasabi lang nila lagi sa'kin, itira mo lang yung tira mo," said Remogat who went 1-of-11 from deep before his back-to-back threes.
Vhoris Marasigan brought the Green Archers to within two, only to see Gerry Abadiano's split and fastbreak layup re-increase the Fighting Maroons' advantage to 81-75.
Kean Baclaan then got a triple to cut La Salle's gap to three, but by then, time was not on their side, as Abadiano converted his couple of charities to cap off the comeback.
In the end, Remogat got a team-high 14 points, as Abadiano and Jalen Stevens also added 12 markers apiece to help UP rally from a deficit as big as 15, 28-43, late in the first half.
"We just reminded them to turn up yung effort and energy nila. Kasi yun yung nagkulang nung first half," answered head coach Goldwin Monteverde when asked about his halftime adjustments.
For La Salle, Cortez showed the way with 16 points and six rebounds, as Baclaan was two assists shy of a triple-double with 14 markers, 10 boards, and eight assists.
Now, the last obstacle in the Fighting Maroons' way from claiming the ECJ Perpetual Trophy is National U, which went against all odds to take down University of Santo Tomas, 96-84.
All the way from the fourth seed and a 3-3 elimination round standing, the Bulldogs got the better of NCAA Group no. 1 Letran and then turned around to cage the Growling Tigers.
Behind by 14 early in the third, NU pounded the ball inside and scored 12 points from up close in a 29-11 tear that pushed them ahead, 72-68, at the 2:09 mark of the quarter.
"Linaro lang namin yung laro namin come the second half. Yun lang naman sinabi ko sa kanila sa dugout e, na sumunod lang kami sa strengths namin," said head coach Jeff Napa.
The closest UST could come from there was down eight, as the Bulldogs continued to take advantage of their length and width en route to a 44-36 edge in inside points.
Napa and his wards now have a golden opportunity to come out of nowhere and claim the preseason crown they last wore back in 2022.
The Growling Tigers, on the other hand, continue to be eluded by a Finals berth even after a 21-point, nine-rebound effort from Gelo Crisostomo. Nic Cabanero and Kyle Paranada also added 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
The winner-take-all championship game is scheduled for Sunday, July 27 still at the Playtime Filoil Centre.