HIGHLIGHTS: UP vs La Salle, UAAP Season 86 finals Game 3

MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Green Archers ended a seven-year title drought in UAAP men’s basketball following a 73-69 win over the UP Fighting Maroons to capture the Season 86 title at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, December 6.

Led by runaway MVP winner Kevin Quiambao, the Archers won the last two games of the best-of-three series to capture their first championship since 2016.

Quiambao finished with 24 points points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks while Evan Nelle netted 12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals to lift La Salle to its 10th men’s basketball crown in league history.

The Archers got the job done despite being on the wrong end of the most lopsided loss in a finals opener in the Final Four era when they absorbed a 97-67 beating in Game 1.

La Salle bounced back with a resounding 82-60 win in Game 2 and completed the title romp in Game 3 as it dealt the Maroons their only back-to-back losses of the season.

With the defeat, UP fell short of its second championship in three seasons.

Fourth quarter

FINAL: La Salle wins its first UAAP crown since 2016 with a 73-69 win over UP
LA SALLE 73-69: Kevin Quiambao ices the win with a pair of free throws
LA SALLE 71-69: Francis Lopez putback with 2.2 seconds left
LA SALLE 71-67: Kevin Quiambao makes it a two-possession game with 5.4 ticks remaining
LA SALLE 70-67: Kevin Quiambao calmly drains his free throws with four minutes left
LA SALLE 68-67: Kevin Quiambao with the high looper
UP 67-66: Evan Nelle sinks the long bomb
UP 67-63: Malick Diouf tips it in
UP 65-63: Kevin Quiambao from long distance
UP 65-60: Evan Nelle sinks his freebies
UP 65-58: Harold Alarcon with the nifty move on the way to the hoop
UP 63-58: CJ Austria 1/2 at the line
UP 63-57: Malick Diouf inside
UP 61-57: Mark Nonoy with the pull-up jumper
UP 61-55: CJ Cansino for three to open the fourth quarter

Third quarter

END OF 3Q: UP weather a La Salle storm and goes into the final salvo up 58-55
UP 58-55: Harold Alarcon putback
UP 56-55: Malick Diouf inside
LA SALLE 55-54: Evan Nelle with the floater
UP 54-53: The Maroons retake the lead off a Harold Alarcon layup
LA SALLE 53-52: Francis Lopez splits his free throws after a Mark Nonoy unsportsmanlike foul
LA SALLE 53-51: Malick Diouf gets the tough bucket to go
LA SALLE 53-49: Jonnel Policarpio finishes the fastbreak
LA SALLE 51-49: JD Cagulangan douses cold water on the Archers’ 10-0 run
LA SALLE 51-47: Jonnel Policarpio for three
LA SALLE 48-47: Evan Nelle with his first field goal
UP 47-46: Kevin Quiambao again, this time with the one-hander
UP 47-44: Kevin Quiambao from beyond the arc
UP 47-41: Aldous Torculas’ basket is good
UP 45-41: Francis Escandor banks in the tough layup
UP 45-39: JD Cagulangan with the first bucket of the second half

First half performers

Malick Diouf (UP) – 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Francis Lopez (UP) – 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
JD Cagulangan (UP) 4 points, 4 assists
Kevin Quiambao (La Salle) – 9 points
Mark Nonoy (La Salle) – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Michael Phillips (La Salle) – 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists

Second quarter

END OF 2Q: UP enters the break with a 43-39 lead
UP 43-39: Francis Lopez splits his freebies
UP 42-39: Malick Diouf 1/2 at the line
UP 41-39: Raven Cortez takes the free throws for Michael Phillips after a Reyland Torres unsportsmanlike foul
UP 41-38: Malick Diouf hook shot
UP 39-38: Mark Nonoy misses, but Michael Phillips is there for the putback dunk
UP 39-36: Mark Nonoy completes the fastbreak with a layup
UP 39-34: Kevin Quiambao with the perfect trip at the stripe
UP 39-32: Francis Lopez 2/2 at the line after an unsportsmanlike foul from Evan Nelle
UP 37-32: Mark Nonoy scores as referees call goaltending on a Francis Lopez block
UP 37-30: Michael Phillips two-handed jam
UP 37-28: JD Cagulangan floats it in
UP 35-28: Malick Diouf continues his second-quarter exploits
UP 33-28: Harold Alarcon answers with his own jump shot
UP 31-28: Mark Nonoy sinks the tough jumper
UP 31-26: Harold Alarcon gets the layup to go
UP 29-26: Malick Diouf again
UP 27-26: Kevin Quiambao lines it up from deep
UP 27-23: Malick Diouf short stab
UP 25-23: Janjan Felicilda regains the lead for the Maroons
23-23: Kevin Quiambao 1/2 at the stripe
UP 23-22: CJ Cansino sinks the midrange jumper

First quarter

END OF 1Q: La Salle with a slim 22-21 lead after the opening quarter
LA SALLE 22-21: Michael Phillips splits his charity shots
21-21: Aldous Torculas’ free throws are good
LA SALLE 21-19: Jonnel Policarpio wide open for the trifecta
UP 19-18: Janjan Felicilda with the fastbreak layup
LA SALLE 18-17: Malick Diouf short stab
LA SALLE 18-15: JC Macalalag for three
15-15: Janjan Felicilda ties it up with a freebie
LA SALLE 15-14: JC Macalalag spins and scores
UP 14-13: Francis Lopez strong drive to the hope
LA SALLE 13-12: CJ Austria answers
UP 12-11: JD Cagulangan layup
LA SALLE 11-10: Gerry Abadiano with the quick bucket
LA SALLE 11-8: Joshua David corner trey
8-8: Kevin Quiambao knots score with a triple
UP 8-5: Reyland Torres scores
UP 6-5: Evan Nelle drains a pair of free throws
UP 6-3: Francis Lopez with the one-handed slam
UP 4-3: Evan Nelle sinks a foul shot
UP 4-2: Francis Lopez ices his free throws after an unsportsmanlike foul from Joaqui Manuel
2-2: Malick Diouf fakes and scores
LA SALLE 2-0: Francis Escandor opens the scoring

Starters

LA SALLE: Evan Nelle, Mark Nonoy, Francis Escandor, Michael Phillips, Joaqui Manuel
UP: JD Cagulangan, Gerry Abadiano, Malick Diouf, Harold Alarcon, Francis Lopez

Preview

UP and La Salle will go for all the marbles.

The Fighting Maroons and the Green Archers duke it out in a winner-take-all Game 3 as they vie for the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball crown at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, December 6.

Battling for the fifth and final time this season, the two teams have yet to win consecutive games against each other.

UP won the first-round clash before La Salle bounced back in the second round, a victory that sparked a nine-game winning streak.

The Maroons then drew first blood in the best-of-three title series with a 30-point rout in Game 1, but the Archers returned the favor with a resounding 22-point triumph in Game 2.

Eyeing a second championship in three seasons, UP hopes to keep the trend of alternating wins, having not lost back-to-back games this year.

And their worst loss of the season should be enough to light a fire under the Maroons.

La Salle, meanwhile, aims to clinch successive wins just like the last time it got beaten by UP as it shoots for its first UAAP crown since 2016.

“Winning a championship is going to be hard. We’re playing against the top college team in the country right now,” said Archers head coach Topex Robinson.

“Come Game 3, obviously there is going to be a lot of work. We know UP is going to come out with guns blazing.”

Game time is 6 pm. – Rappler.com