The De La Salle University Green Archers once again emerged victorious against the defending champions, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 87-82, in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, November 22.

Trailing by three in the fourth quarter, 71-74, Jacob Cortez sparked a 9-3 run with Earl Abadam and Vhoris Marasigan to regain the lead, 80-74, with 1:49 minutes remaining. That six-point lead proved to be the difference for the game as the Green Archers answered back every Fighting Maroons’ bucket.

“We’re coming off a three-game losing streak, we’re going through injuries, sickness, but what really transpired here was the team’s will to win, not giving up on every possession knowing that UP’s always gonna give us a good fight and gonna test us to the mettle,” said Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson.

Mike Phillips led the Green Archers with a double-double performance of 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Marasigan finished the game with 17 points. Abadam and Cortez each contributed 14 points.

For the Fighting Maroons, Rey Remogat scored a game-high 25 points with eight assists and six rebounds, while Francis Nnoruka contributed 14 points and seven rebounds. Gerry Abadiano and Jalen Stevenes added 12 points apiece.

Earlier that day, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws continued their run for the final four, defeating the University of the East Red Warriors, 84-77, keeping the guys in white-and-red winless for the season.

With 31.1 seconds left in the game, Wello Lingolingo and Precious Momowei trimmed the lead of the Tamaraws to just five, 77-82, but this lead was all it took for the Tamaraws to secure their third-straight victory.

“We just continue to battle at practice, and we kept believing that we have a chance and [can] make things better. I just love this journey and I’m grateful for the way our guys responded and we put ourselves a chance to get to the Final Four with such a young team,” said Tamaraws head coach Sean Chambers.

Jorick Bautista led the Tamaraws with 17 points and six assists, while Mo Konateh had 15 points and eight rebounds. Kirby Mongcopa finished the game with a double-double performance of 14 points and 10 rebounds with six assists, while Janrey Pasaol contributed 12 points and six assists. Niel Owens added 10 points.

For the Red Warriors, Momowei led the team with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Lingolingo contributed 14 points. Dray Caoile and Nico Mulingtapang each scored 10 points.

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Vhoris Marasigan finished with 17 points in 27 minutes of action, 14 of which he scored in the second half of the game. After the match, Marasigan admitted he struggled in the first half.

“Nung first quarter, nag-struggle rin ako. Ang dami kong open shots na na-miss pero sabi naman sa akin ni coach, tuloy ko lang ‘yung ginagawa ko para makatulong ako sa team. Nung second half, bumawi ako. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, ito na yun kasi nawala si EJ, bumagsak din ‘yung kumpyansa ko, e. Sabi ko lang tutulungan ko ‘yung team ko,” he said after the game.

EJ Gollena was thrown out of their game against the Fighting Maroons after throwing a closed fist at Francis Nnoruka’s abdomen. Although it is still unclear whether Gollena can play in their game against the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles on Wednesday, Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson welcomed any of his players to deliver the numbers.

“With the challenges that we’re having as far as personnel is concerned, anybody [who] could chip in those little things really means a lot to us. You talked about Vhoris, we also have to acknowledge rin si Guillian Quines, who we weren’t sure if he’s gonna be ready for this kind of competition, especially with all the pressure that’s going on, but he provided us the spark, and I guess that’s really big for us right now,” Robinson said.

Since coming back from a one-game suspension, Marasigan found himself a new role in the team as they made their final push for the final four. Marasigan was suspended after throwing a closed fist at Omar John’s abdomen.

“‘Yung suspension ko, marami akong natutunan doon kasi nung ginawa ko ‘yun nagsisi rin ako sa sarili ko, e. Nagsorry din ako sa mga coaches, sa mga teammates ko and sabi ko lang sa kanila babawi ako and then ayun nga bumawi ako sa Adamson kaso na-short nga lang,” he said.

Without Marasigan, the Green Archers suffered a defeat against Far Eastern University, 83-84. In his comeback against Adamson, Marasigan led the team in terms of scoring with 15 points, but once again fell short by a single point, 60-61.

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Mason Amos returned to the action when his team needed him most — in their battle against the defending champions, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.

Although he only scored three points, Amos’s impact in the game cannot be quantified as he served as the anchor of the Green Archers’ defensive plays.

“It feels good to be back, you know? I still [have] a lot to work on right now. I actually don’t think that my legs are at 100% like as much as I want them to be, but it feels great to be back, it feels good to get the W,” he said after the game.

“My knee is intact, that’s what’s important. If my knee wasn’t intact, I wouldn’t risk it at all. Honestly, in my head, I thought I was going to wait until next year. Wait until I [am] fully 100%. Right now, I’m a solid 90-95% and for me, that’s good enough to help the team right now,” he said.