UP Fighting Maroons’ JD Cagulangan in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball Finals. UP won the title after beating La Salle. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
MANILA, Philippines — JD Cagulangan saved the best for last, ending his collegiate career with his second championship and the UAAP Season 87 Finals MVP.
Cagulangan was crowned as the best player of the Finals after the University of the Philippines exacted a sweet revenge on La Salle, 66-62, in Game 3 to reclaim their championship in front of a record-breaking crowd of 25,248 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: UP outlasts La Salle in Game 3 to reclaim UAAP men’s basketball title
Cagulangan had 12 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds in the do-or-die duel.
JD Cagulangan wins the #UAAPSeason87 Finals MVP. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/hAjfJDycb4
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) December 15, 2024
“I can’t say anything but thank you. I’m so happy to have been part of this program. They welcomed me so well, and UP truly deserved to win this season. I want to thank Coach Gold for trusting me,” said Cagulangan.
Cagulangan averaged 13.67 points, 4.33 rebounds, 4.67 assists, 1.33 steals, and 0.67 blocks, only committing an average of 1.67 turnovers in the Finals series.
READ: UAAP: JD Cagulangan makes immediate impact in UP return
His best game was in Game 2 with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists but it went for naught as La Salle forced a decider.
The transferee from La Salle played his first year with the Fighting Maroons in Season 84, where he hit an epic championship-clinching three in Game 3 against Ateneo for the school’s first crown since 1986.
Cagulangan settled for runner-up finishes in the past two seasons, losing to Ateneo in Season 85 and La Salle last year.
But as he promised, the UP guard is ending his career with a championship.
