No more barks.
No growls.
No snarls.
By the final buzzer, NU’s season-long swagger had dissolved into something quieter — just soft, pleading whimpers — because in the biggest moments of the biggest game, the Cool Cub put the Bulldogs on a leash.
La Salle didn’t just win.
La Salle bent the league’s top seed backward, snapped momentum in real time, and stole every ounce of certainty that NU carried into this Final Four.
The Green Archers, improbably and undeniably, dislodged the No. 1 Bulldogs — and with this seismic, spine-hardening 78-73 victory, they march into the Finals with a clear mission: settle scores with UP.
And of course, it had to be Jacob Cortez.
Cortez, Cool Cub’s Gospel: shot-making when it matters
Cortez played like someone who understands the geometry of the court at playoff speed. His late-game bag was a masterclass in pacing and nerve, none bigger than the push-ahead midrange with 56 seconds left that gave La Salle a 74–72 edge. Vintage Cool Cub: a dribble, a glide, a sudden elevation — the kind of shot that rewrites seasons.
On the next possession, NU’s Jake Figueroa tried to manufacture a counterpunch. Instead, Luis Pablo detonated the play mid-air, plucking the drive clean and flipping possession back to La Salle.
The Archers couldn’t convert afterward, setting the stage for one last NU look with 18 ticks remaining.
Then came the defensive stand of the season.
Reinhard Jumamoy slashed downhill, trying to force something at the rim. Pablo read it perfectly — again — meeting the attempt, smothering it, and sending the ball spinning off Jumamoy’s own hands with 10 seconds left.
Two game-saving stops in two trips. That’s championship DNA showing up early.
Cortez splits his freethrow to bring it to 75-72 and a subsequent jumpball gave the ball to the streaking Archers with 5.1 remaining. Kean Baclaan closed his former team out for good with with two charities 77-72 with 3.6 to go
The Bulldogs bark early — but La Salle absorbs the storm
To appreciate La Salle’s comeback, you need to understand how hot NU started.
They came out with all their counters installed: better spacing for Figueroa, sharper timing on their first-action ball screens, and more discipline in transition.
It worked. NU jumped to a 20–14 first-quarter lead and kept climbing. When they pushed it to double digits, 24–14 in the second, the Bulldogs looked like the version of themselves that bulldozed through eliminations — physical, connected, comfortable.
Even as La Salle started to locate small offensive openings, the needle barely moved. The Archers were still stuck at 34–26 inside the last minute of the half, until Cortez hit a much-needed jumper and Abadam carved out a transition bucket that trimmed the gap to 34–28. A Mike Phillips putback finally cut it to 36–30 at the break.
And that’s when the air shifted.
Momentum flips: Abadam, Marasigan, and the Cool Cub surge
Third-quarter playoff basketball is where good teams show their wiring.
Cortez opened the half by punching holes in NU’s pick-and-roll coverage, toggling between probes and strikes. Abadam kept the tempo honest, mixing slashes with timely off-ball relocations. And Vhoris Marasigan — who always seems to appear exactly when La Salle needs a jolt — injected force in the gaps.
The trio helped carve out a 51–44 La Salle advantage, their biggest imprint of the night. The Archers were finally dictating terms: pace, spacing, rhythm, even defensive mismatches.
But NU refused to fold.
The Bulldogs tightened the screws defensively, rediscovered matchups they liked, and clawed back to reclaim a 54–53 lead entering the fourth. It was the perfect setup for a heavyweight final quarter.
And like any wounded hound, they fought back with every last bit of canine energy. NU was still able to regain the lead in the final four minutes.
But in these final minutes, La Salle had the best player on the floor.
And the best closer.
Cortez finished it. Pablo sealed it.
And the Green Archers are marching to the Finals — not just alive, but terrifyingly on-brand.
ANIMO LA SALLE!!!
