La Salle shocks UP, nears Final Four

Alta Sports7 hours ago

La Salle shocks UP, nears Final Four image

Photo: UAAP Media Bureau

By: Nate Castillo

De La Salle University shocked defending champion University of the Philippines with an 87-82 come-from-behind win to inch closer to a Final Four seat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Trailing, 71-74, the Green Archers unleashed a decisive 11-2 run to take an 82-76 advantage before holding off the Fighting Maroons’ fightback for a 7-6 win-loss card.

La Salle, which went down by as many as 16, snapped a three-game slide and completed an elimination round sweep of UP, which saw its six-game win streak halted to finish with a 10-4 card.

Mike Phillips led the Green Archers, who went down 6-22 in the first period, with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Vhoris Marasigan had 17 markers. Earl Abadam and Jacob Cortez added 14 points each for La Salle, which welcomed the surprise return of Mason Amos after missing seven straight games due to a knee injury. Amos scored three points in 22 minutes of action.

The Green Archers, however, could lose EJ Gollena to suspension in their final elims match on Wednesday after committing a disqualifying foul with 6.6 seconds left in the first quarter for hitting UP center Francis Nnoruka in the stomach with a closed fist.

Rey Remogat finished with 26 points and Nnoruka, who was ejected with 46.8 seconds left in the match because of a second technical foul (delay of game), had 14 markers and seven boards.