De La Salle University (DLSU) secured the top spot in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball elimination round with a 77-66 victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the win, the Green Archers completed a season sweep over UP and improved to a league-best 12-1 record.
UP took an early lead, closing the first half up 43-40 after leading by as much as 11 points in the second quarter. However, the Green Archers turned the game around in the third period, holding UP to just eight points while scoring 17 themselves. La Salle stretched its advantage in the fourth, with crucial baskets from Kevin Quiambao and JD Cagulangan to build a 62-53 lead. Late-game scores by Raven Gonzales and Joshua David pushed La Salle’s lead to its largest, 73-62, before closing out the game with a nine-point win.
Quiambao led La Salle with 15 points, and Mike Phillips added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. JD Cagulangan led the Fighting Maroons with a standout 22-point performance, but UP, now at 9-3, missed the presence of Quentin Millora-Brown, who was absent due to a family bereavement.
In an earlier game, Adamson University kept its Final Four hopes alive with a 53-41 victory over National University (NU). AJ Fransman led the Soaring Falcons with a double-double, contributing 18 points and 11 rebounds, as they improved to 5-7, placing them just behind the University of Santo Tomas in the standings. Meanwhile, NU fell to 4-9, officially ending their Final Four contention.