UAAP: La Salle’s Macalalag, UST’s McAlary shine in crucial wins

MANILA — De La Salle University played mostly without star guard Jacob Cortez in its two assignments this week in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament. 

Fortunately for the Green Archers, JC Macalalag was more than ready to pick up the slack.

La Salle opened the second round with back-to-back victories, thanks largely to Macalalag, who was named the latest Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Player of the Week for the period of October 21 to 25.

Against a resurgent University of the East on Wednesday, Macalalag steered the Taft squad to a gritty 97-88 overtime victory, pouring in 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting clip.

He also chipped in two rebounds and a steal as the defending champions snapped a two-game losing streak.

On Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym, the dependable forward came through with the best scoring night of his career, putting up 28 points to steer La Salle to a 92-80 win over University of Santo Tomas.

“We’re happy with the win, and we’re thankful that we all stepped up and followed the game plan. I’m thankful for my teammates and coaches for trusting me,” Macalalag said in Filipino after adding three rebounds and three assists to his career-best scoring performance.

The breakout performances earned Macalalag the weekly citation as La Salle improved to 5-4. He edged fellow Green Archers Joaquin Tovera and Doy Dungo, UP’s Veejay Pre, NU’s Tebol Garcia and Ateneo’s Kieffer Alas in the voting among print and online journalists covering the UAAP beat.

Over in the women’s division, UST’s Erinn McAlary took the weekly honors after playing a key role in the Growling Tigresses’ first-round sweep.

The second-year Filipino-Australian showcased her all-around game against the Lady Archers on Wednesday, tallying nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

McAlary sustained her strong play in a tight matchup against the University of the Philippines, recording a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, along with three steals, two assists and a block.

“I think that we all just really did a good job of staying together and staying focused in the game. We were down by halftime, but I feel like we all just had each other’s backs and everyone was stepping up,” McAlary said.

“I feel like we just came together more throughout the game, so it was really a team effort,” she added.

McAlary prevailed over fellow Growling Tigresses Brigette Santos and Karylle Sierba, FEU’s Victoria Pasilang and UP’s Camille Nolasco for the women’s weekly citation.

UST is set for a quick rematch with UP on Wednesday, October 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the second round of the women’s preliminaries gets underway.

Meanwhile, Macalalag and the Green Archers return to the Big Dome on October 31 for another chapter of their rivalry with Ateneo.