MANILA, Philippines—La Salle’s Raven Cortez’s birthday is still two days away but he was the one who gave the Green Archers a present with an 83-75 win over University of the East in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at Quadricentennial Pavilion, UST, on Saturday. Cortez, who barely got minutes for La Salle in its last two games, top scored for the Green Archers, who turned the game around in the second half and pulled away in the fourth, with 18 points and five rebounds on a blistering 62.5 shooting from the field. “Of course, coming into this game, I just stayed ready. The coaches make the decision on who’s playing and I’m just on the bench, supporting my teammates. It just so happened that my name was called and I had a great game,” said Cortez. “Every game, I’m always focused and ready, no matter how many minutes I play. Coach (Topex Robinson) gives a lot of trust and confidence in us and even if we make mistakes, it’s okay, as long as you don’t repeat it. The confidence he gives us is a big help for us.” The athletic forward was instrumental in the victory for La Salle, which improved to 4-3 after climbing out of a 48-37 rut at the intermission. The Red Warriors even led, 54-44, in the penultimate period before the Green Archers went on a 13-3 run to tie the game at 57-all. When the fourth quarter began, UE only led by one, 63-62, and La Salle took over for good with a 13-3 blitz, capped off by a Cortez layup, for a 75-66 lead. Kevin Quiambao nearly had a triple-double with 17 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in the victory while Evan Nelle helped the cause with 14 to his name. Noy Remogat’s double-double of 13 markers and 13 boards were put to waste as UE crashed to a 2-5 card. Precious Momowei contributed another double-double for the Red Warriors with 12 points and 12 rebounds but to no avail. The Scores: DLSU 83 – Cortez 18, Quiambao 17, Nelle 14, Austria 7, Policarpio 7, Nonoy 6, Gollena 5, M. Phillips 4, Macalalag 3, Abadam 2, David 0, Nwamkwo 0, B. Phillips 0, Manuel 0, Escandor 0. UE 75 – Remogat 13, Sawat 13, Momowei 12, Galang 10, Cruz-Dumont 9, Gilbuena 7, Tulabut 6, Fikes 3, Alcantara 2, Langit 0, Lingolingo 0.
