UAAP: UP, La Salle battle one last time for Season 86 crown

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The University of the Philippines and De La Salle University - Manila battle in game 2 of the UAAP Season 86 men" s="" basketball="" finals="" in="" Quezon="" City="" on="" December="" Mark="" ABS-CBN="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/12/05/20231203-uaap86-up-dlsu-1md_5732-md.jpg"/><figcaption>The University of the Philippines and De La Salle University - Manila battle in game 2 of the UAAP Season 86 men&#x27;s basketball finals in Quezon City on December 3, 2023. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- For the third season in a row, the UAAP men&#x27;s basketball finals will go down to a do-or-die Game 3.</p><p>The University of the Philippines and the De La Salle Green Archers will face off one last time in Season 86, with the winner of Wednesday&#x27;s Game 3 at the Araneta Coliseum emerging as champions. </p><p>The first two games were lopsided affairs: UP made history in Game 1 with a massive 97-67 rout of La Salle -- the largest winning margin in a Finals game in the Final 4 era. But the Green Archers turned the tables in Game 2, crushing the Fighting Maroons 82-60. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/29/23/alarcon-stars-as-up-dominates-la-salle-to-take-game-1">UAAP: Alarcon stars as UP dominates La Salle to take Game 1</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/03/23/la-salle-turns-the-tables-on-up-to-force-do-or-die-game-3">UAAP: La Salle turns the tables on UP to force do-or-die Game 3</a></li></ul><p>It was La Salle&#x27;s biggest win in a Finals game since a 72-47 dismantling of Far Eastern University in Game 1 in October 1998.</p><p>For UP, this will be their third consecutive Game 3. They are 1-1 in deciding games in the past two seasons, beating Ateneo de Manila University for the championship in Season 84, before ceding the crown back to their Katipunan rivals last year. </p><p>La Salle is hoping to break UP&#x27;s hearts anew in another Game 3.</p><p>&quot;We know that it&#x27;s gonna be hard. Winning a championship is gonna be hard,&quot; said La Salle coach Topex Robinson, who finally won a Finals game for the first time thanks to last Sunday&#x27;s triumph. &quot;Playing against the top college team in the country right now is gonna be hard.&quot;</p><p>&quot;But sa amin, at the moment we just keep on enjoying that game, the game that we love, the game that has been good to us, and not shy away from the responsibility of the result of the ball game,&quot; he added.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/trl-hlQBTrE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>UP coach Goldwin Monteverde, for his part, is setting aside the result of Game 2 wherein they allowed La Salle to make 12 of their 38 attempts from long distance, while making just two three-pointers of their own.</p><p>&quot;It is what it is,&quot; Monteverde said of the Game 2 result. &quot;We&#x27;re not gonna make any reasons kung ano turnout ng game today, rather we’re gonna look inside us, kung ano dapat namin ginawa. Ang importante dito may Game Three pa so nandoon pa yung chance namin.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/03/23/up-monteverde-shift-focus-to-game-3-after-huge-game-2-loss">&#x27;It is what it is&#x27;: UP, Monteverde move on from Game 2 loss, shift focus to Game 3</a></li></ul><p>This will be the ninth Game 3 of La Salle in the Final Four era - the most by any team in the league. The Green Archers are 3-5 all-time, as their most recent Finals decider appearance ended in a loss to the Blue Eagles, 86-88, in 2017.</p><p>Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.</p><div><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aJNMAwtmHmw?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

For the third season in a row, the UAAP men's basketball finals will go down to a do-or-die Game 3.

UAAP: UP, La Salle battle one last time for Season 86 crown | ABS-CBN

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UAAP: UP, La Salle battle one last time for Season 86 crown

UAAP: UP, La Salle battle one last time for Season 86 crown

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 06, 2023 02:01 AM PHT

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