NATIONAL University leaned on the brilliance of Jake Figueroa to outlast Far Eastern University, 21-17, and clinch the top seed in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s 3×3 Basketball semifinals, Friday afternoon at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque.
A layup by Veejay Pre gave the Tamaraws a 17-14 advantage, but Figueroa refused to let NU’s unbeaten record slip away. The Bullpups star converted a layup and a two-pointer to tie the game at 17-all with under two minutes remaining.
PJ Palacielo then stepped up with a clutch and-one layup followed by a midrange jumper, before Steve Nash Enriquez sealed the deal with the game-winning inside shot. The win preserved NU’s unblemished 6-0 slate in the tournament supported by Molten.
“Parang nag-relax kami sa una eh, parang na-underestimate namin yung FEU. Nung pagitna na ng laban, doon kami nakarealize na dapat magising na kami para manalo at tuloy-tuloy yung winning streak namin,” said Figueroa, who finished with seven points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block.
In the women’s division, University of Santo Tomas rose as the lone unbeaten squad in the eight-team field after handing University of the Philippines its first loss in a nail-biting 15-14 victory.
The Growling Tigresses erased an early seven-point deficit behind Kent Pastrana’s scoring bursts, but it was 23-year-old center Ceejay Maglupay who stole the spotlight. The third-year big from Bukidnon nailed back-to-back go-ahead layups with under 40 seconds left, and capped her heroics with a game-saving block on Christie Bariquit’s potential game-winning deuce, sealing UST’s perfect 6-0 card.
“Ginawa ko lang yung best ko sa loob. Tapos nung nag-timeout kami, doon kami nag-usap-usap sa team, tapos pinagkatiwalaan nila ako sa dulo,” said Maglupay, who delivered five points on 5-of-9 shooting, along with seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Back in the men’s division, UE and UST ended the day tied for second at 4-2, while Adamson and La Salle shared third place with identical 3-3 records heading into the final day of the preliminaries.
Wello Lingolingo exploded for 13 points on 8-of-12 shooting to power the Red Warriors past the Soaring Falcons, 21-18. The loss marked Adamson’s third consecutive defeat after a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, Amiel Acido played the hero again for the Growling Tigers, knocking down the go-ahead two-pointer to lift UST to a dramatic 21-20 win over a struggling UP squad.
La Salle also boosted its semis hopes as Andrei Dungo and EJ Gollena tallied seven points apiece to lead the Green Archers in a dominant 21-10 victory over archrival Ateneo, officially eliminating the Blue Eagles (1-5) from Final Four contention alongside UP (1-5).
“Ngayon gigil talaga kami manalo kasi natalo kami nung nakaraan sa La Salle, so doon kami nagising. Para rin ito sa past teammates namin na naglaro dito sa 3×3—gusto namin ipatuloy yung legacy nila na makapasok kami ulit sa Final Four,” said Acido, who tallied six points on 5-of-9 shooting with one rebound.
FEU, meanwhile, pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the day with a thrilling 19-17 overtime win over Season 86 3×3 runner-up NU, creating a three-way tie for third place with matching 3-3 records.
Shane Salvani’s layup forced overtime, but it was Yvette Villanueva who emerged as the game-changer. The Lady Tamaraws forward drained the game-winning two-pointer to keep FEU’s semifinal hopes alive.
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