The La Salle Green Archers picked the right moment to play some of their sharpest basketball of the season, delivering an 87–77 victory over National University in Game One of the Final Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
This was not just a win; it was a blueprint-level performance that merged timely shot-making with a defense that tightened at nearly every hinge point of the game.
The turning point came in the third quarter, where La Salle executed a decisive 9–2 burst out of halftime. From there, the Archers played with a clarity that left NU chasing patterns rather than dictating them.
Mike Phillips set the tone in the fourth with a signature power dunk that bumped the lead to 69–54, and Pablo followed with a straight-line finish to stretch it to 71–56. Those early blows weren’t highlight dressing—they were momentum markers, reminders that La Salle was fully in command of the tempo.
Just as NU started to creep back into view, Mason Amos stepped into a contested three that felt like a pressure release valve for the Archers. That push to 74–63 with six minutes left had the same feel as a well-timed counter in a chess match: simple, direct, devastating.
JC Macalalag then read a matchup he liked—Nash Enriquez stranded in space—and went to work. Back-to-back drives pushed the lead to 78–63 heading into the final five minutes, and when Amos drilled another smooth triple moments later, the gap ballooned to 81–63. His timing, footwork, and confidence all synced at the exact moment La Salle needed poise more than flair.
NU mounted a last push, but La Salle’s response was measured and decisive. Cortez hit a composed mid-range jumper, and Macalalag applied the final layer of insulation to seal what would stand as an authoritative 86–74 cushion inside the final minute.
Much of the foundation for this win was poured earlier. The third quarter belonged to La Salle’s interior attack, with Vhoris Marasigan kickstarting a surge that lifted the Archers to a 54–46 lead. NU’s bigs were dragged into foul trouble by the seven-minute mark, and the period closed with La Salle comfortably ahead 67–54.
Their zone defense, often inconsistent this season, produced timely turnovers that Cortez and Baclaan converted into clean scoring opportunities.
Yet it wasn’t a wire-to-wire breeze. NU opened the second quarter with a 10–3 run, nearly wiping out the deficit and changing the tone of the game. But La Salle’s playoff-tested core absorbed the surge, managing the next few minutes with enough control to enter halftime up 48–46.
The first quarter offered the earliest glimpse of La Salle’s confidence. A 22–9 opening burst, powered by Jacob Cortez and EJ Gollena slicing repeatedly through NU’s perimeter defense, gave them the runway they’d need later. NU trimmed it to 28–17, but the initial damage remained an invisible tax the Bulldogs never fully repaid.
With this statement win over the league’s top seed, La Salle moves into Game Two with a chance to punch their ticket to the Finals.
ANIMO LA SALLE!
