In the final week of the UAAP Season 88 elimination-round fixtures, two De La Salle University players stood out among a litany of great performances.
Banking on their flair for the dramatic, Green Archer Jacob Cortez and Lady Archer Kyla Go were feted as the Collegiate Press Corps’ (CPC) Players of the Week Presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) from the period of November 19 to November 26.
With a Final Four appearance at stake, Cortez sealed the deal for the Green Archers with a 20-point, three-rebound, seven-assist performance in a pulsating 78–72 win against rival Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday, November 26.
The son of DLSU legend Mike Cortez took matters into his own hands by coming up clutch on both ends of the floor.
With La Salle up by two, Cortez picked off Jared Bahay’s pass, put defender Waki Espina on an island, and canned a pull-up jumper that extended the lead to a comfortable four-point edge, 76–72, with 12.4 seconds left.
“For that shot, I don’t know. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid, counting down by yourself, and there’s no better way to do it than in an Ateneo–La Salle crucial game,” Cortez said.
This performance came on the heels of a crucial 87–82 win over defending champion University of the Philippines, where Cortez posted 14 points and hauled down four boards.
Cortez prevailed with the award over teammate Mike Phillips, UP’s Gerry Abadiano and Francis Nnoruka, University of Santo Tomas’ Gelo Crisostomo and Collins Akowe, and Far Eastern University’s Kirby Mongcopa and Mo Konateh.
Meanwhile, Go was adjudged as women’s basketball’s best in the past week by print and online scribes covering the beat after putting up eye-popping numbers in her final two games of the season.
After serving a one-game suspension in the Lady Archers’ game against Adamson University, Go returned with a vengeance, tallying all-around numbers of 34 points, five rebounds, two assists, and four steals in a tight 75–73 win against the UP Fighting Maroons on Nov. 22.
Despite La Salle being eliminated on the final day of the elimination round, Go capped off a memorable season by going off against the Blue Eagles — nearly tallying a triple-double with a 32-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist, three-steal performance.
None was more important than her game-winning floater with 2.3 ticks left, giving La Salle a 73–72 win over the stepladder–playoffs-bound Blue Eagles to finish with a sixth-place 6–8 record.
“Lamang ng isa ‘yung Ateneo, at para na rin po sa mga seniors namin na ga-graduate. Idine-dedicate din po namin ito sa kanila kaya gusto naming manalo kahit na kinapos po kami sa Final Four,” said Go.
Go was chosen over Adamson’s Cheska Apag, Elaine Etang, and Kemj Adeshina, and UST’s Kent Pastrana, Oma Onianwa, and Coi Danganan in the award also supported by Discover Suites and Buffalo Wings ‘N Things.
