JACOB Cortez did not wait for anyone else to explain La Salle’s late-game collapse.
The Green Archers had clawed their way back from a double-digit deficit and were within one possession of taking down University of Santo Tomas.
But with La Salle needing its go-to guy to close it out, Cortez knew he had to own what happened next.
READ: UST survives late La Salle rally to take first UAAP Season 89 win
“I think everyone knows that in a late-game situation, that’s supposed to be my role,” said Cortez.
“My teammates and coaches trust me with that and today I just failed them.”
The combo guard had already helped put the Green Archers in position to steal the game, knocking down five straight free throws before finding JC Macalalag for a corner three that cut UST’s lead to 74-73 with 1:20 left.
Then came the mistakes.
Cortez turned the ball over with 46 seconds remaining, allowing Collins Akowe to score on the other end and restore UST’s three-point cushion.
La Salle got another crack at it, but Cortez called for an isolation against Akowe and missed the tough shot as the Growling Tigers held on for the 80-75 win in UAAP Season 89 on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
There was no finger-pointing afterward.
Instead, Cortez pointed straight at himself.
“The dugout situation, there was no blaming or nothing but I know that was my responsibility out there and I didn’t show up,” he said.
It was a tough lesson for La Salle’s new go-to guy, especially with UST making it clear that it was not going to let Cortez dictate the game down the stretch.
“It’s tough. There’s coverage on me, whatever they’re doing. Whatever they’re doing is working,” Cortez admitted.
Now, the two-week break gives the 5-foot-11 playmaker and the Green Archers time to figure out how to counter that attention.
And for Cortez, there is no better time for the lesson to come than this early in the season.
“We have two weeks to figure that out. Good thing it happened in the first two games. Good thing it happened in the first round. That’s the only good part about it.”
The loss stings.
But Cortez sees the challenge as something that can push him and La Salle forward.
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