Jacob Cortez made his much-awaited return to the court, but it was not enough to prevent De La Salle University from suffering a costly defeat as National University moved within one win of securing its fifth consecutive Final Four appearance in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.

After missing La Salle’s back-to-back victories over the University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University, Cortez returned to action against the Bulldogs on Sunday, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists in 18:25 minutes of play.

However, the Green Archers ultimately fell short, 80-84, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The defeat left La Salle alone in fourth place with a 6-5 record, adding pressure to its remaining elimination-round assignments.

Despite the setback, Cortez stressed the importance of moving forward, with the Green Archers still having plenty to play for.

“I feel like both teams played well,” said Cortez. “NU just played better. For me, I’m glad to be back. Though I got hurt again in the fourth quarter, I have one week to recover, and we, as a team, have one week to prepare for our next matchup against Adamson. We’re just gonna take it game-by-game now.

“Like I said before, every game is crucial, and NU did a good job today.”

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

The two-time collegiate champion acknowledged that La Salle could have been more cohesive defensively, particularly after holding NU to just 11 points in the third quarter.

However, he also recognized the Bulldogs’ ability to adjust to the Green Archers’ defensive schemes and capitalize on crucial opportunities down the stretch.

After trailing 70-77, La Salle mounted a late comeback to take an 80-79 lead behind consecutive baskets from Cortez, Earl Abadam, and Doy Dungo.

However, the Green Archers surrendered a go-ahead three-pointer to Paul Francisco before failing to convert on their ensuing possessions. PJ Palacielo then put the game away with two free throws with under five seconds remaining.

“It’s just that we gotta start playing from the first quarter,” said Cortez.

“We made a lot of lapses in the first half. We could have played better in the first half, like how we played in the third quarter. It’s just about locking in as a team. Then again, we have one week to figure things out to fix our sense of urgency.”

La Salle will close out its elimination-round campaign against Adamson University next Sunday before taking on the University of the Philippines on November 22 and Far Eastern University on November 28.

Cortez expects another difficult challenge against the Soaring Falcons, whom he described as the league’s “best defensive team.”

Having lost to all three remaining opponents in the first round, the Green Archers will be out for redemption while fighting to secure a place in this year’s Final Four.

The urgency is especially high for Cortez, who is helping lead La Salle’s bid for its first back-to-back championships since Season 64.

With only three elimination-round games left, the two-time champion knows that his collegiate career could be on the line if the Green Archers fail to make the Final Four.

“Last three games — it could be my last three games if we don’t make the Final Four. We’re just gonna take it day-by-day and game-by-game.”

The post Jacob Cortez feels urgency as La Salle fights for survival appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Amiel Acido embraced his role as the go-to guy, delivering in the clutch to power the University of Santo Tomas past Far Eastern University, 86-85, and revive the Growling Tigers’ Final Four hopes in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

The third-year forward knocked down the big shots down the stretch to snap UST’s three-game losing streak and secure its first victory of the second round. The Growling Tigers improved to 5-6, tying the Ateneo Blue Eagles for fifth and sixth place in the standings.

The win also brought UST within a game of third- and fourth-running FEU and De La Salle University, which earlier fell to National University.

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

“These two guys, Amiel and Landyn, they played their hearts out. Mga shooter eh, minsan ang problema ko pa sa kanila they don’t want to shoot enough. Amiel, I’m just telling him to shoot; he should have a minimum of eight three-point shots per game, pero ayaw eh, masyadong mabait pero okay lang,” said UST assistant coach Peter Martin.

With the Growling Tigers clinging to a one-point lead, Acido came up with a crucial three-pointer. Cabs Cabonillas answered with a triple of his own, however, keeping the Tamaraws within striking distance at 83-82 with 1:32 remaining.

Acido was not done yet, drilling another shot from beyond the arc to extend UST’s lead to 86-82 with 1:12 left.

FEU had four more opportunities to respond from long range but missed all four attempts before Jorick Bautista finally connected at the buzzer. His triple, however, came too late to save the Tamaraws.

Acido finished with 23 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting from the field, alongside three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

One-and-done guard Landyn Jumawan also delivered a breakout performance with 18 points, including four three-pointers, while Mark Llemit chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Growling Tigers also completed a season sweep of the Tamaraws, having won their first-round encounter, 81-69, behind a strong second-half surge.

UST will look to build on its momentum when it faces the University of the East on Wednesday, still at the Big Dome. The Red Warriors are coming off their first victory in two years, which they secured on Saturday.

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

FEU, meanwhile, saw its two-game winning streak come to an end and will try to bounce back against the University of the Philippines on Saturday.

Bautista led the Tamaraws with 27 points, four assists, and two rebounds, but his effort went unrewarded.

Kirby Mongcopa added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Cabonillas also finished with 14 points.

Reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol endured a difficult shooting night, making just two of his 15 attempts from the field to finish with six points. He did, however, dish out eight assists.

The Scores:

UST (86) –Acido 23, Jumawan 18, Llemit 16, Cañete 9, Akowe 8, Porter 4, Chio 3, Buenaflor 3, Sevilla 2, Bucsit 0, Esteban 0.

FEU (85) – Bautista 27, Mongcopa 14, Cabonilas 14, Konateh 9, Gish 9, Pasaol 6, Daa 5, Burgos 1, Nakai 0, Felipe 0.

Quarterscores: 19-24, 43-45, 69-63, 86-85

The post Amiel Acido delivers as UST edges FEU to revive UAAP men’s basketball Final Four hopes appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

By: Joaquin Cortez

After 742 days of heartbreak, the University of the East can finally celebrate.

The Red Warriors ended their 30-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, outlasting Adamson University, 57-43, in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

For a team that had grown accustomed to walking off the court on the losing end, the victory meant far more than just a much-needed addition to its win column. It was a breakthrough that finally gave the Red Warriors reason to believe again.

Tope Lagat and Mo Tañedo spearheaded UE’s long-awaited breakthrough with 14 points apiece, while JM Edokou posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Red Warriors to their first victory in more than two years.

The win marked UE’s first since its 74-58 triumph over National University on October 26, 2024, in the second round of Season 87. The Red Warriors, however, dropped their final five games that season before enduring a winless Season 88.

UE also opened this year’s campaign with a 10-game losing skid, with its first two defeats coming under former head coach Chris Gavina and the next eight under Paulo Hubalde.

The breakthrough also ended the second-longest losing streak in the Final Four era, behind only Adamson’s 35-game skid spanning Seasons 62 to 65 from 1999 to 2002.

For Hubalde, the victory was a long time coming after spending the past several games rebuilding his team’s confidence and belief in itself.

“It’s a very long time coming. Sinabi ko lang sa kanila, ‘Just give your heart out. It’s the way I played back in the day, and it’s showing now.’ They’re giving it all sa floor,” he said.

Having suited up for the Red Warriors from 2000 to 2004, Hubalde made restoring the program’s pride his primary objective after taking over the coaching reins in UE’s third game of the season.

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

“Ang unang gusto kong ayusin sa kanila ‘yung mindset nila. From there, nag-build ‘yon sa previous games namin and mga almost-wins na games namin. Sila, they started to believe in what they can do and, on top of that, they started to believe in the system,” the former PBA player said.

“Sabi ko, basta ibigay niyo lang lahat sa floor, basketball will have us back.”

That renewed belief finally translated into a breakthrough against Adamson, as UE maintained control for most of the contest before limiting the Falcons to just three points in the final quarter.

Edokou then delivered the decisive putback to seal the victory.

“Super grateful ako na this is our first win. Credits sa teammates ko, sa coaches, and sa staff who made it possible. Sobrang saya ko lang na makuha ang first win namin,” Lagat said.

Tañedo, meanwhile, admitted that the prolonged losing spell had taken its toll on the players, particularly those who had remained with the program since last season.

“It’s a surreal feeling, to be honest. Me and Tope, we’ve been playing since last year. All the losses kinda build on us. I know you don’t want to say it, but it’s kinda in our culture, whether we like it or not,” Tañedo said.

Despite the setbacks, Tañedo and Lagat continued to encourage their teammates, recognizing the importance of staying together through the difficult stretch.

“Me and him, we’ve been talking just day in and day out to uplift our teammates and uplift ourselves,” Tañedo added.

With the weight of the losing streak finally lifted, Hubalde hopes the breakthrough will fuel the Red Warriors’ hunger to build on their first victory and sustain their progress beyond the current campaign.

“Once malaman namin manalo, magugutom na kami sigurado. From here, we’re going to build from this win and hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy ‘to, ‘di lang this season but up to next season, hopefully,” he said.

Having experienced UE’s glory days as a player, Hubalde now hopes to restore the identity and pride that once defined the Red Warriors.

“Yun lang naman gusto kong baguhin sa UE, ‘yung the way we played, mabalik lang ‘yung glory days ng UE. Yun ‘yung primary objective namin,” he said.

“Now, we are starting to see some of the pride. Everyone’s trying to play like one. Unti-unti lang and we’re going to build from that.”

After 742 days of heartbreak, the Red Warriors have finally found their way back to the winning column — and, perhaps more importantly, rediscovered the belief that had long eluded them.

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