UAAP Basketball FInals: La Salle vs. Ateneo

Defending champion De La Salle University Green Archers and top-seeded Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles will dispute UAAP Season 71 Men's Basketball championship after dispatching respective rivals in the crossover semis.

The Archers took the best challenge the Far Eastern University Tamaraws could offer and came out victorious 67 -62 in the first game. FEU led most of the game until James Mangahas' heroics in the endgame.

Mangahas, who had a career game, completed a crucial three-point play to put La Salle ahead 64 - 62 with only 35.2 seconds left and scored three more points to lead the Archers past the Tamaraws. Baracael missed two pressure packed free throws in the ensuing play. Paul Sanga's missed trey to force overtime sealed FEU's defeat

In the other game, the Blue Eagles showed why their the number 1 team of the season so far as they clobbered the University of the East Red Warriors, 70 - 50 to arrange another final showdown with their archnemesis La Salle.

The Warriors made a game out of it only in the opening quarter. The rest of the game was a display of Ateneo's domination.

The Eagles closed the first quarter on a 10 - 0 blast, outscored the Warriors 15 - 10 in the 2nd, broke the game wide open in the third and started the fourth quarter with eight straight points to put the outcome beyond doubt.