Jacob Cortez hit the dagger three-pointer, lifting La Salle to a 74–70 win over UP in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 88 Finals.
Jacob Cortez once again proved he is built for big moments.
The 22-year-old guard drilled the crucial three-pointer that lifted the DLSU Green Archers past the UP Fighting Maroons, 74–70, in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball Finals on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The fourth-seeded Green Archers, who have now beaten the Fighting Maroons in all three of their Season 88 meetings, move one win away from reclaiming the UAAP crown.
[ALSO READ: La Salle powered by familiar name of 'Cortez' in UAAP Finals trilogy vs UP]
With UP down to a single point after a Harold Alarcon fastbreak layup, 70–71, Cortez was reinserted with 46.5 seconds remaining—despite sitting since the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
No warm-up. No hesitation.
Cortez created space with a stepback against Reyland Torres and buried the triple with 27.4 seconds left, extending La Salle’s lead to 74–70, a cushion that held despite two missed free throws each by Vhoris Marasigan and Mike Phillips in the final seconds.
UP had two chances to answer from deep, but Terrence Fortea misfired both times.
Cortez finished with 21 points on an efficient 10-of-15 shooting, adding two rebounds and two assists.
“I just like to give credit to Kean and kay Doy. Doy stayed ready, Kean did a good job playing off the bench for me. I’m just so proud of them,” Cortez said.
Before Cortez’s heroics, La Salle had to fight back from a 49–58 deficit late in the third quarter, trimming it to 53–58 entering the final frame.
Still trailing 65–68 with just over five minutes remaining, Mike Phillips hammered in a momentum-shifting dunk, and Kean Baclaan split his free throws to tie the game at 68-all.
Moments later, Luis Pablo knocked down a short jumper over Francis Nnoruka at the 3:26 mark to give DLSU the lead for good.
The Archers’ defense then clamped down, limiting UP to only two points the rest of the way.
[ALSO READ: The UP-DLSU Rivalry: Looking back on high-stakes showdowns since UAAP Season 84]
Sophomore guard Doy Dungo kept La Salle afloat early, matching Harold Alarcon’s hot hand with 15 points in the first half and finishing with the same total.
Baclaan contributed nine points and six assists, Pablo added seven points, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while Phillips posted seven points and nine boards.
“We’re just fortunate and blessed that we were able to sustain the onslaught of Harold Alarcon, he really took over,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson. “We just didn’t stop when UP was making those big runs.”
Alarcon delivered one of the finest individual performances in recent UAAP Finals history, exploding for 34 points.
Nnoruka added 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, while Rey Remogat, despite being limited to just three points, contributed across the board with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Game 2 is set for Sunday at the same venue, with UP aiming to force a deciding Game 3.
The Scores:
DLSU (74) – Cortez 21, Dungo 15, Baclaan 9, Phillips 7, Pablo 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 6, Abadam 2, Gollena 0, Amos 0, Nwankwo 0.
UP (70) – Alarcon 34, Nnoruka 13, Abadiano 8, Torres 7, Fortea 5, Remogat 3, Belmonte 0, Stevens 0, Bayla 0, Yñiguez 0, Felicilda 0, Alter 0.
Quarterscores: 25-24, 33-36, 53-58, 74-70.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.