Games Saturday:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

3 p.m. —- NU vs Ateneo

5 p.m. -— Adamson vs UST

Jacob Cortez stepped up when De La Salle University wanted a spark in a campaign that was slowly turning south due to injuries and inconsistency.

With Mason Amos already out and Kean Baclaan going down with a knee injury late in regulation, Cortez took over to tow the Green Archers to a hard-fought 111-110 overtime victory over University of the East (UE) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

La Salle clawed its way back from 21 points down in the third quarter and weathered Red Warriors center Precious Momowei’s red-hot 42-point outing to arrest a two-game skid and level its win-loss record to 3-3.

Cortez scored the last five points of the Green Archers’ 13-3 rally from a 98-104 deficit with over three minutes left in the extension for a comfortable 111-107 advantage with 15.8 seconds left.

UE had a chance to draw closer, but Tope Lagat missed his three-point attempt. The Red Warriors got the ball back off the miss, but Momowei’s triple came up short. Dray Caoile got the offensive board before John Abate swished in his trey at the buzzer for the final count.

Cortez finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 field goal shooting and dished out five assists with four steals in 35 and a half minutes of action for the Green Archers as he finished what Baclaan started in the huge second half fightback.

“You can say I was super eager but then again, I had to lock in and focus because I tend to overdo it. Luckily, I was mature enough to relax and stay composed. I think I got my teammates to stay composed as well and we ended up with the win,” Cortez said.

Mike Phillips, who battled through leg cramps, had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, Earl Abadam got 18 markers while Baclaan had 17 points before getting carted off the court late in the fourth period.

Baclaan suffered a scary injury with 4:20 remaining in regulation after Welo Lingolingo landed on his right knee in a loose-ball scramble and UE up 89-84.

Lingolingo was ejected for an unsportsmanlike foul (category 2), having already incurred a technical earlier for faking a foul.

“When I saw Kean getting stretchered off the court, it motivated us to step up. Not only did I step up, but everyone did today,” Cortez added.

Cortez, fueled by Baclaan’s fall, scored 10 straight points to turn the tide and put La Salle ahead, 98-93, with 1:18 left in regulation.

Abate and Momowei fired back with five straight points to force overtime.

The Green Archers went down, 54-75, after Abate sank a triple with 6:27 left in the third canto. Baclaan rallied his team’s comeback back before getting hurt.

La Salle is already playing without Amos, who went down with a knee injury in a loss to National University last Sunday.

The Red Warriors remained winless in six starts as they lost 12 straight games since the second round of the previous season.

Momowei listed a career-high on 16-of-27 field goal shooting on top of 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in more than 40 minutes of action.

The 6-foot-9 Nigerian became the first UAAP player to breach the 40-point mark since UE’s Alvin Pasaol erupted for 49 points on 4 October 2017 -- ironically, also in a losing effort against La Salle, 100-106.

Abate had 25 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while Lingolingo finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists before his ejection.

The scores:

LA SALLE (111) — Cortez 26, Abadam 18, Phillips 18, Baclaan 17, Pablo 8, Marasigan 8, Gollena 4, Macalalag 4, Nwankwo 4, Daep 3, Dungo 1, Melencio 0.

UE (110) — Momowei 42, Abate 25, Lingolingo 24, Caoile 6. Mulingtapang 4, Tañedo 4, Datumalim 3, Robles 2, Malaga 0, Lagat 0, Cabero 0.

QUARTERS: 23-33, 48-60, 74-72, 98-98, 111-110.