The defending champions La Salle Green Archers stumbled against the UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, dropping a tight 80‑75 decision to the España‑based squad. But the game was theirs for the taking in the final two minutes—usually the time Jacob Cortez takes over.
Only this time, he couldn’t.
Jacob Cortez Takes the Blame
Cortez struggled against UST all game long, finishing with 13 points on 3‑for‑13 shooting while committing 3 turnovers. He did add 4 rebounds and 5 assists, but the performance overall wasn’t typical Cortez. The quiet finish was equally telling.
“It’s all on me. I think everyone knows come in late‑game situation, that’s supposed to be my role,” he told reporters after the game. “My teammates and coaches trust me with that, and today I just failed them. But you know the dugout situation—there was no blaming or no nothing—but I know that was my responsibility out there and I didn’t show up.”
Indeed, the explosive playmaker couldn’t make the big plays for the Green Archers, who had multiple chances to take the lead in the endgame after several botched UST possessions.
Marked Man for Season 89
Given Jacob Cortez’s pedigree, the start he’s had in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament has been somewhat slow. In La Salle’s opening win against NU, he shot just 3‑for‑10 and wasn’t his usual dynamic self either. Those struggles, according to the UAAP and NCAA champion, are the byproduct of excellent defense—something he expects to see plenty of this season as the Green Archers’ main man.
“As you can see these past two games, the teams we went [up] against are really tough. Their coverage on me, whatever they’re doing, is working,” he said. “We have two weeks to figure that out, and good thing it happened in the first two games, it happened in the first round. That’s the good part about it.”
La Salle’s next outing is against the FEU Tamaraws on September 30, also at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. And with a two‑week break to work on things, a Jacob Cortez masterclass might be loading soon.
