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National University reclaimed the top spot in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament with a gritty 82–78 win over De La Salle University at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Bulldogs unleashed a decisive 27–17 fourth-quarter run to seize control, then held off a late surge by the Green Archers, who lost star forward Mason Amos to a suspected knee injury down the stretch.

With this victory, NU improved to 5–1—already matching last season’s win total—and broke its tie with the UST Growling Tigers (4–1). The Bulldogs have now won two in a row since their loss to defending champion UP.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for NU, which struggled last year after import Mo Diassana’s early injury. Now, with Omar John anchoring the paint, the Bulldogs have emerged as one of the league’s most balanced and resilient squads.

"Nung mga preseason games, talagang iniisip ko kung paano tatagos sa depensa ng La Salle," said Palacielo, who scored 10 of his total production in the pivotal last period. "Kanina, tinignan ko lang talaga kung ano yung bibigay nila sa akin tiyaka ko tintry atakihhin."

In the second game, defending champion University of the Philippines eked out a 69–66 win over Far Eastern University, notching a fourth straight victory after a rocky 0–2 start. Harold Alarcon led UP with 15 points, with Gani Stevens (14) and Reyland Torres (12) chipping in.

UP now looks ahead to a marquee clash with the La Salle Green Archers on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Scores:

NU 82 -- Figueroa 18, Palacielo 16, Francisco 13, Santiago 12, Jumamoy 8, Parks 6, Garcia 4, John 3, Manansala 2, Enriquez 0, Padrones 0, Dela Cruz 0, Navarro 0, Reyes 0.

La Salle 78 -- Phillips 15, Cortez 15, Baclaan 11, Pablo 8, Amos 7, Gollena 6, Macalalag 5, Abadam 4, Daep 3, Dungo 2, Nwankwo 2, Melencio 0, Marasigan 0.

Quarterscores: 21-23, 40-40, 55-61, 82-78.

A full house is expected at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion when the Growling Tigers host defending champion UP Fighting Maroons in a blockbuster men’s basketball showdown on September 21, headlining the UAAP Season 88 opening weekend. 

Defending champion De La Salle University is headed back to the finals after overpowering host Japan University Select Team, 88-75, in the 2025 World University Basketball Series (WUBS) Final Four on Sunday, August 10, at the Yoyogi National Gym in Tokyo.

The Green Archers broke the game open with a decisive 22-7 run in the second quarter, turning a slim 19-17 lead into a commanding 41-24 halftime advantage. Despite a stronger second-half push from the Japanese squad, La Salle held firm to secure its second straight WUBS championship appearance.

La Salle, the UAAP Season 87 runner-up, will face either Korea University or Nippon Sport Science University in Monday’s title game. 

Last year, the Archers claimed the title over Korea University, 101-86, led by Kevin Quiambao, who now plays in the Korean Basketball League. This time, Mike Phillips anchored La Salle’s charge, building on his strong quarterfinal performance against National Chengchi University of Chinese Taipei.

Supporting Phillips were Mason Amos, Kean Baclaan, Jacob Cortez, Luis Pablo, Earl Abadam, and Vhoris Marasigan.

Meanwhile, UAAP champion UP exited early, falling 75-71 to Korea University in the first round and 96-77 to Australia’s University of Sydney in the battle for fifth place.

The WUBS is an annual knockout tournament featuring eight collegiate champion teams from across Asia.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is exploring the possibility of forming a Gilas Pilipinas lineup that blends PBA pros and top collegiate talent for the upcoming 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, slated from December 9 to 20.

With the PBA’s 50th season Philippine Cup deep in the elimination round by then, the PBA Board of Governors has approved the release of only a limited number of players for the SEA Games campaign.

Veteran coach and Meralco consultant Norman Black is being tapped to lead the squad, pending a formal confirmation from the SBP. 

Black, who last coached a gold-winning SEA Games in 2011, confirmed his willingness to take on the task.

Gilas Pilipinas character will be tested tonight, February 20, when they face a Chinese Taipei team that's fighting for survival in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers at 7:00 PM at the Taipei Heping basketball gymnasium.

The Philippine team will put their unbeaten record on the line against the home team that is seeking to finish third place in Group B and make it to the Qualifying Tournament among third placed teams and a possible last-minute shot of making it to Jeddah.

Gilas are on top of Group B with a 4-0 win-loss record, followed by the New Zealand Tall Blacks with a 3-1 slate, then the Taipei team sitting in third with a 1-3 record, while Hong Kong is still winless in four games.

Though the Filipinos have already qualified for the Asian Cup tournament set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from August 5-17, Gilas head coach Tim Cone emphasized that they will use this third and final window as preparation for the said tourney.

After their game tonight, Gilas will have another battle on February 23 against New Zealand in Auckland.

Like Gilas, the Tall Blacks have already qualified for the Asian Cup and will also use the final window to prepare for the next battle.