De La Salle University is back on top of UAAP men’s basketball after outlasting the University of the Philippines, 80–72, in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Season 88 Finals.
The victory sealed La Salle’s championship in a three-year Finals rivalry with UP, with both teams trading titles over the last three seasons. The Green Archers won in Season 86, the Fighting Maroons answered in Season 87, and La Salle reclaimed the crown this year to close the trilogy.
Game 3, played before 24,339 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, also marked the final UAAP appearances of La Salle veterans Mike Phillips and Bright Nwankwo, along with UP standouts Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda.
UP briefly seized control late in the fourth quarter when Noy Remogat converted a three-point play to take a 67–64 lead with 4:09 remaining. The advantage was short-lived as La Salle responded behind Vhoris Marasigan, who ignited a crucial closing run that swung momentum back to the Green Archers.
Marasigan knocked down a mid-range jumper to regain the lead before finishing an and-one layup that pushed La Salle ahead, 71–67, with 2:15 left. UP stayed within striking distance after Remogat sank two free throws to trim the gap to 73–72 with 1:05 remaining.
La Salle, however, held firm down the stretch. Injured contributors Kean Baclaan and Mason Amos combined for six straight free throws in the final minute, while JC Macalalag capped the decisive run with a fastbreak layup to make it 76–69 with 31.4 seconds left.
The win gave La Salle its 11th UAAP men’s basketball championship and made it only the second No. 4 seed in the Final Four era to claim the title, joining National University’s Season 77 squad
Mike Phillips anchored La Salle with a series-high 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting and 18 rebounds in Game 3. He averaged 13.3 points and 13.7 rebounds across the Finals and was named Finals MVP.
Mason Amos added 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three blocks, while Marasigan finished with 10 points and two steals. Jacob Cortez contributed nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Earl Abadam and Baclaan scored nine and eight points, respectively.
La Salle took Game 1 of the series, 74–70, before UP evened things up with a 66–63 win in Game 2, setting the stage for a decisive Game 3 that ended one of the most competitive Finals rivalries in recent UAAP history.
