JACOB Cortez insisted he was fine after an apparent right leg injury forced him out early, offering some relief for La Salle after the reigning king had to brave through a massive scare from winless University of the East.
READ: La Salle takes UE's best shot in OT, still comes through for bounce back win
Cortez slipped while driving to the basket at the 3:27 mark of the second quarter, appearing to hyperextend his right leg before leaving the game.
The Green Archers guard did not return, finishing with four points and four assists in just 10 minutes.
“I’m good, but I couldn’t play [after that],” he told SPIN.ph after the game.
“Coach didn’t want to risk anything, so we’re just gonna get a check just to be sure, but I’m good.”
Leave it to rest of La Salle
The injury scare came, as the green-and-white was pushed to the limit by the Red Warriors who just refused to go away.
For Cortez, however, the hardfought victory also offered a glimpse of the character the defending champions have been missing during their recent slump, although he acknowledged that they still need to shore up their defense.
“It finally showed. UE is a very dangerous team, as you could tell from earlier,” he said.
“We played good defense, I think, until the third, so I think that’s what we gotta work on, our defense throughout the whole game.”
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