Banged-up DLSU nips UP during UAAP finals rematch

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The shorthanded De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers passed their first character test following a momentum-boosting 72–69 win over the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in the ongoing UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Oct. 19, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In a UAAP finals rematch that was highly anticipated by hoops fanatics from Taft and Diliman, the injury-plagued Green Archers prevailed despite missing the presence of Kean Baclaan and Mason Amos, who were ruled out due to torn medial collateral ligaments (MCLs) in their knees.

The rematch did not disappoint and once again delivered a cinematic battle, as both schools traded runs from the get-go, but it was DLSU that pulled off the biggest plays down the stretch to secure the much-needed win.

Down by three points with only 1:14 remaining in the game, Earl Abadam answered the call for DLSU after burying a cold-blooded three-pointer that equalized the see-saw affair at 69-all.

Abadam had the chance to put the Green Archers back in the driver’s seat as he was also fouled taking the trey, but his shot from the charity stripe rimmed out, giving the Fighting Maroons a glimmer of daylight.

After a UP miss on the other end, Vhoris Marasigan turned garbage into gold to put DLSU in the lead, breaking the 69-all tie with a dagger put-back off an Abadam miss.

UP had several chances to level the game at 71, but their frontcourt duo of Gani Stevens and Francis Nnoruka fumbled their respective attempts going to the basket.

Mike Phillips added some breathing room for the Green Archers after going 1-of-2 from the free-throw line for a three-point lead, 72–69, but UP still had 13 seconds left to execute head coach Goldwin Monteverde’s mapped-out play off a crucial timeout.

The Fighting Maroons ran a pop-out play for Terrence Fortea, who curled from the left elbow to the baseline, but JC Macalalag was quick to recover, forcing UP’s deadly three-point shooter to give the leather up to Chicco Briones, who missed the attempt.

DLSU’s Jacob Cortez then grabbed the defensive rebound and wisely dribbled it out, milking the game clock until the final buzzer sounded.

It was a game of runs right from the start as the Green Archers’ zone defense slowed down UP’s high-octane offense, but the Fighting Maroons responded behind a waxing-hot Gerry Abadiano, who opened the game with nine quick points.

UP momentarily took control of the second quarter after the veteran duo of Abadiano and Harold Alarcon did damage from the perimeter, but DLSU’s unsung hero, former NCAA high school MVP Luis Pablo, contributed in many ways to keep the Green Archers within striking distance.

The finals rematch went down to the wire until the final minute, with DLSU shining in the clutch thanks to Marasigan and Abadam’s late-game heroics that prevented them from sliding to the bottom of the standings.

Pablo led the DLSU assault with an all-around outing of 14 points, six rebounds, a steal, and a block, while the trio of Phillips, Cortez, and EJ Gollena each scored 12 markers.

“We just competed,” said DLSU head coach Topex Robinson after the gutsy win.

“There are going to be challenges. We’ve been challenged lately, but obviously the guys just didn’t give up and really gave us a good fight.”