La Salle Wins Asis Cup Title After Controversial Finals Forfeit
De La Salle University’s trip to Bayugan City ended with a championship, but not in the way anyone expected.
The Green Archers were declared champions of the Mayor Kirk Asis Open Invitational Basketball Tournament on Monday after their finals matchup against CM Farm was stopped in the first half and eventually decided by forfeiture.
La Salle was ahead, 33-25, with around five minutes remaining in the second quarter when the game was halted. According to information obtained by ALL-STAR, CM Farm requested for one of the game officials to be replaced, a move La Salle did not agree to because of the rules governing the contest.
The stoppage lasted for more than an hour. By the time CM Farm was ready to continue, La Salle maintained that the game had already moved beyond the proper procedure for resumption.
Under FIBA rules, once a team refuses to play following the 15-minute grace period, it is given a limited window to return to the floor. If it does not resume play within that period, the game may be decided by forfeiture. Tournament officials eventually upheld the result, giving La Salle the championship and the top prize of P300,000.
For La Salle head coach Topex Robinson, the decision to no longer continue was rooted not only in the rulebook, but also in protecting his players.
In an internal update to La Salle officials after the incident, Robinson explained that CM Farm had asked for a change in referees, which he said was not allowed once the game was already underway. He also noted that after a long delay, the opposing side expressed willingness to resume, but he believed the proper course had already been determined by the rules.
Robinson also made it clear that he was taking responsibility for the decision, stressing that he did not want to place his players in a situation where the game had already gone outside normal procedure and where he could no longer be fully certain of the conditions surrounding the contest.
“My priority will always be the protection, health, and safety of our players,” Robinson said in the update.
The ending added a controversial layer to what had been one of the most competitive preseason tournaments in the country, especially with La Salle and CM Farm emerging as the clear top teams of the field.
CM Farm had been the heavy home favorite and entered the finals with momentum after going unbeaten in the elimination round, including a win over the Green Archers. The club team, powered by a veteran-laden roster, had beaten collegiate programs throughout the tournament and had built a strong following from the Bayugan crowd.
La Salle, meanwhile, reached the finals after wins over Adamson, San Beda, and Letran/Got Skills, with its only loss coming against CM Farm in the eliminations. The championship game was supposed to serve as a rematch between the tournament’s two best-performing teams.
Instead, the game became defined by the stoppage, the disagreement over officiating, and La Salle’s decision to stand by the tournament rules once the delay stretched past the allowable period.
The championship still gives the Green Archers another preseason title as they continue their preparation for the upcoming UAAP season. It also gave Robinson’s group a chance to test itself against a unique field that included NCAA programs, a UAAP rival, and an experienced local club team playing in front of a passionate home crowd.
Earlier in the day, San Beda completed its own comeback to secure third place, rallying from a double-digit deficit to beat Letran/Got Skills.
For the Red Lions, the result allowed them to close their Bayugan campaign on a strong note after a difficult loss to La Salle earlier in the tournament. For Letran/Got Skills, the fourth-place finish still came after a competitive run that included close games against some of the strongest teams in the field.
But the main story of the final day belonged to La Salle and CM Farm, whose championship game ended before it could fully reach the stage many had anticipated.
