La Salle rallies past reeling UE in heated OT shootout, loses Baclaan to injury

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

One game after losing Mason Amos to a right knee injury, La Salle loses another star in Kean Baclaan on the way to a bittersweet overtime comeback win from 21 points down against free-falling UE

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle took another blow in its roster as Kean Baclaan went down with a knee injury before the Green Archers withstood the UE Red Warriors in a thrilling 111-110 overtime escape to bounce back in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, October 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Baclaan was taken out on a stretcher after Wello Lingolingo fell on his right knee — the same knee Mason Amos injured in La Salle’s previous game against the NU Bulldogs — in a loose-ball play at the 4:20 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Green Archers outscored UE in the fourth quarter and overtime, 37-25, as Jacob Cortez poured in 17 of his 26 points in the final 15 minutes of the game. Cortez also had 5 assists and 4 steals to lead the come-from-behind win.

“The way he was screaming, I’ve never heard him like that,” Cortez said. “When I was watching him getting stretched off the court and at first it was sad, but it’s also like the motivation for us. It’s also a sign for us to like step up.”

Precious Momowei put up 42 points, the most points scored by any player since UE’s Alvin Pasaol, who had 49 points in a loss, coincidentally against La Salle in Season 80 in 2017. Momowei also tallied 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block to complete the historic performance, albeit in another loss.

Lingolingo, who was slapped with a disqualifying foul for the Baclaan play, finished with 24 points, 15 of which came in the first quarter, as UE fell to a 0-6 slate off its 12th straight loss, dating back to the time it once held a 6-3 card early in Season 87.

John Abate also added 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Momowei drained the game-tying layup in regulation, 98-all, with five ticks remaining before Cortez missed the potential game-winner at the buzzer.

UE led by 6 points early in OT, 104-98, before La Salle zoomed to a 13-6 finishing run to bounce back from back-to-back losses against the NU Bulldogs and the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

The Red Warriors led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, 75-64, before the Green Archers jumped on a rousing rally down the stretch.

Abadam chipped in 18 points, while Mike Phillips contributed 18 markers and 11 rebounds to steer La Salle.

La Salle moved to 3-3 in the standings, good for the fifth seed with one game left in the first round.

The Scores

La Salle 111 – Cortez 26, Abadam 18, Phillips 18, Baclaan 17, Pablo 8, Marasigan 8, Gollena 4, Macalalag 4, Nwankwo 4, Daep 3, Dungo 1, Melencio 0.

UE 110 – Momowei 42, Abate 25, Lingolingo 24, Caoile 6. Mulingtapang 4, Tañedo 4, Datumalim 3, Robles 2, Malaga 0, Lagat 0, Cabero 0.

Quarters: 23-33, 48-60, 74-72, 98-98 (reg.), 111-110 (OT).

– Rappler.com