De La Salle University moved within one win of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball crown after pulling out a gritty 74-70 victory over the University of the Philippines in Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In front of a crowd of 18,210, Jacob Cortez once again showed his poise under pressure. Coming off the bench in the closing moments, the sophomore guard knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer with 27.4 seconds left—his first shot since being subbed out earlier in the fourth period—to give the Green Archers the breathing room they needed to fend off the Fighting Maroons.
La Salle, the No. 4 seed, looks to finish the job on Sunday in Game 2 at the same venue, while UP aims to force a winner-take-all Game 3.
The Archers’ Game 1 triumph also marked their third win over UP this season, following close victories in both elimination-round meetings.
Alarcon erupted for a career-high 34 points—his best output in a UAAP game and the highest Finals scoring performance since Thirdy Ravena’s 38 in 2018—but his efforts were not enough to lift the Maroons.
UP had sliced the deficit to a single point after an Alarcon fastbreak layup with 46.5 seconds left, prompting Topex Robinson to send Cortez back into the floor. Without hesitation, Cortez created space against Reyland Torres and buried the pivotal stepback triple for a 74-70 lead.
La Salle, however, flirted with danger as Vhoris Marasigan and Mike Phillips missed four consecutive free throws in the dying seconds. UP had two clean looks from deep through Terrence Fortea, but both attempts bounced out, allowing DLSU to hold on.
Cortez finished with 21 points.
Doy Dungo chipped in 15 points, while Kean Baclaan added nine points and six assists. Mike Phillips tallied seven points and nine boards, and Luis Pablo contributed across the stat sheet with seven points, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
