Though their journeys were worlds apart, the DLSU Green Archers and the UST Growling Tigresses both achieved redemption in the UAAP Season 88 men’s and women’s basketball.
In Season 88, the UAAP basketball courts became stages for redemption, resilience, and sheer brilliance.
The DLSU Green Archers and the UST Growling Tigresses rose to the top of their divisions, each navigating vastly different roads but arriving at the same triumphant destination.
Amid these team triumphs, two players also ended long waits for MVP honors for their respective schools.
As the year winds down, here’s a closer look at the three defining stories of UAAP basketball this season.
Tough Enough in Taft
For the DLSU Green Archers, the journey back to the top was nothing short of epic.
Boasting a talent-rich roster anchored by Jacob Cortez, Kean Baclaan, Mason Amos, and Mike Phillips, with support from Luis Pablo, Vhoris Marasigan, and Earl Abadam, expectations for DLSU were understandably sky-high.
But a nail-biting 60–58 escape over Adamson foreshadowed the grind ahead for head coach Topex Robinson and his wards.
An uneven stretch followed as La Salle fell to UST, bounced back over FEU, and bowed down to rivals Ateneo that exposed the Green Archers’ early inconsistencies.
[ALSO READ: La Salle's Topex Robinson keeps faith as Green Archers face rough patch in UAAP Season 88]
Then more adversity struck.
Mason Amos tore his MCL against National U, while Kean Baclaan suffered the same injury a game later versus UE.
[ALSO READ: No 'victim' card for coach Topex Robinson, La Salle despite enduring key injuries in UAAP Season 88]
At that point, La Salle found itself on a knife’s edge at 6–6, with only two games left to secure a Final Four berth.
But the Green Archers dug deep, securing crucial wins over UP and Ateneo to clinch the fourth seed and earn a daunting semifinal clash against top-seeded NU—despite facing a twice-to-beat disadvantage.
Against all odds, La Salle stunned the Bulldogs to reach the Finals for a third straight year, setting up another title clash with repeat-seeking UP.
[ALSO READ: La Salle completes upset of twice-to-beat NU, seals third straight UAAP Finals berth]
The best-of-three championship series lived up to the billing as Jacob Cortez buried a dagger triple to lift DLSU past Harold Alarcon’s 34-point explosion in Game 1.
UP responded with a gritty 66–63 win in Game 2, forcing a winner-take-all decider.
In the finale, Mike Phillips delivered a fitting swan song, posting 25 points and 18 rebounds to earn Finals MVP honors and power the Green Archers to their 11th UAAP championship.
Cortez completed the rare NCAA-UAAP title double, while the timely returns of Baclaan and Amos embodied La Salle’s resilience.
[ALSO READ: Jacob Cortez completes rare UAAP-NCAA title combo after La Salle's Season 88 triumph]
Golden Growl
While La Salle battled adversity, the UST Growling Tigresses’ story was defined by sheer dominance.
After a Finals heartbreak to NU the previous season, UST stormed through the eliminations with a flawless 14-0 record, earning the first Finals berth of the season.
Even when NU ended their streak with a Finals opener win, the Growling Tigresses responded with ruthless precision.
Game 2 saw a 95-70 blowout, and the clincher was a 79-64 demolition, dethroning the Lady Bulldogs.
Graduating star Kent Pastrana delivered a near-perfect performance of16 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the title-clinching game on her way to being named as Finals MVP honors to conclude a storybook UAAP career.
Double MV"P's"
While team glory defined La Salle and UST, individual brilliance left its mark across the league.
Janrey Pasaol became the first FEU player to claim men’s MVP honors since Terrence Romeo in 2013, posting 15.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds despite the Tamaraws narrowly missing the Final Four.
[ALSO READ: Janrey Pasaol channels MVP win into unfinished business for FEU in UAAP Season 89]
In the women’s division, Karl Ann Pingol became the first NU Lady Bulldog to win MVP since Jack Animam in 2017.
[ALSO READ: NU’s Karl Ann Pingol officially crowned as UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball MVP]
She averaged 14.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.6 steals during the eliminations, joining an elite group of Lady Bulldogs alongside Animam and Afril Bernardino.
Though NU fell short in the Finals, Pingol’s all-around brilliance left an indelible mark on the league.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.