University of Santo Tomas, which finished third in the special exhibition event last year, secured its spot in the UAAP Season 87 Esports NBA2K tournament Final Four with a dominant 2-0 sweep over National University, Wednesday at the Quantum Skyview Deck of Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City.
In the previous tournament format, both of UST’s representatives topped their groups but fell short in the semifinals against Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
“Biglang natalo lang sila nung semis, parang nawala sila sa laro kasi ‘di nila laro yung semis na yun eh, parang kinabahan sila…kaya yun yung iniiwasan ko sakanila ngayon, yung mawala sa game, kailangan gusto ko focus lang sila, stay sharp lang,” said Teletigers head coach Augusto De Jesus III.
(“They suddenly lost in the semifinals, it seemed like they lost focus because they didn’t play their game in that semifinal, it seemed like they got nervous… that’s what I’m trying to avoid with them now, to not lose focus on the game. I need them to stay focused, stay sharp.”)
Riding on their momentum from the first day, UST dominated NU in two games, with Daemiel Argame and Gideon Del Val once again taking control of the virtual court.
UST kicked off the second day of the group stages with an overwhelming performance by Argame’s Boston Celtics, who built a 14-point lead, 49-35, against Jared Allaga’s Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by a 13-0 run to start the third quarter.
Argame maintained his aggressive play in the final stretch, leading his team to a 64-53 victory in the opening game.
Switching teams for Game 2, Del Val set the tempo and guided UST to a 62-47 win, clinching the Teletigers’ playoff spot with six points in Group B.
In the next matchup, Ateneo earned its second consecutive 2-0 sweep, this time over Far Eastern University.
While many teams stuck with Oklahoma City and Boston, Blue Eagles head coach Nite Alparas opted to switch things up by choosing the Houston Rockets for Paolo Medina in the second game.
“Unang-una si Amen (Thompson) kaya niya gawin lahat, sobrang lakas niya sa defense, kaya niya bantayan one to five, at the same time kaya niya umiscore dahil sobrang bilis niya,” Alparas explained, justifying the Rockets’ viability against the Thunder and Celtics.
“Actually, isa siya sa mga favorite team ni Paolo kaya possible na magamit namin siya susunod na mga games.”
(“First of all, Amen (Thompson) can do everything. He’s very strong defensively, he can guard positions one to five, and at the same time, he can score because of his speed. Actually, it’s one of Paolo’s favorite teams, so it’s possible that we’ll use them in the upcoming games.”)
After his heroic performance against De La Salle University, Medina made the most of the Rockets in Game 2, defeating Nehemiah Maninit’s Thunder 64-48, securing the top seed in Group A.
Meanwhile, Luis Jovellanos earned a crucial win for Ateneo in the first game, defeating Dale Estacio in a tight match. With the game tied at 42 points after Estacio’s three-pointer on Jaylen Brown, Jovellanos quickly answered with a triple of his own on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter. With less than a minute left, Jovellanos hit a two-point dagger from the top of the key to give Ateneo a five-point lead, 47-42, with 34.2 seconds remaining.
After a painful loss, the Green Aces bounced back with a 2-0 sweep of the University of the Philippines.
De La Salle head coach Aminolah Palog had a trick up his sleeve, opting to choose the San Antonio Spurs for Keagan Yap. Yap’s performance was stellar, as his Spurs crushed Isaac Javier’s Thunder, taking a 17-point lead with two minutes remaining, 54-37.
In Game 2, Luis Pardecho led the charge, outplaying debuting Angelo Nuestro for a comfortable 75-49 victory, securing the second seed in Group A.
Adamson University also made a strong move, sweeping University of the East 2-0, placing them just behind UST in Group B with five points ahead of their final group stage matchup.
James Mariano of the Red Warriors tried his hand at the Rockets, but Adamson’s Joaquin Obado dominated, leading his team to a 74-46 victory with Oklahoma City, opening a lead as large as 33 points. Joshua Advincula sealed the series for Adamson with a 55-45 win over UE’s Ceanne Manalastas.
All games air live on Pilipinas Live and the UAAP Varsity Channel.
