UP ousts La Salle with late rally, sets up finals duel with Ateneo

A late charge from the University of the Philippines wiped out De La Salle University's hopes of a Finals stint in UAAP Season 84 as the Fighting Maroons prevailed on Friday, 78-74, in a do-or-die match of the Final Four at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Down 14 with 7:05 in the fourth period, the Fighting Maroons rallied to tie the ball game at 73 with 1:30 left. A Mike Phillips split gave the Green Archers a single digit lead, but a three-point play completed by Carl Tamayo pushed the Diliman-based squad's lead to 76-74. Evan Nelle tried to salvage the game for La Salle, but charities from Tamayo sealed the deal for UP.

La Salle had the lead at the end of the first 20 minutes of action, 44-39.

Tamayo, who proved to be crucial in the dying minutes of the match, tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists to bring UP to the Finals. Malick Diouf also registered a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Schonny Winston made 26 points, while Mark Nonoy had 11 markers in the Final Four loss. Phillips collected 10 points on top of 17 rebounds.

With the win, UP will face Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday.

The Finals on Sunday will feature Ateneo and UP's second Finals match up in the last four years. The two teams from Katipunan faced off in 2018 where Ateneo won its second straight title.

Should Ateneo win, it would be the blue and white's fourth straight title.

—JMB, GMA News