NU's Jolo Manansala in action. UAAP Media
MANILA, Philippines – National University’s (NU) men’s basketball team and the women’s squads of University of Santo Tomas (UST) and University of the Philippines (UP) punched their tickets to the semifinals of the UAAP Season 87 collegiate 3x3 basketball tournament, Thursday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque.
The Bulldogs remained undefeated at 5-0 after surviving the Ateneo de Manila University, 18-17, and overpowering the Adamson University, 21-15.
Jolo Manansala led the charge against the Blue Eagles with seven points on 6-of-10 shooting, while it was a balanced effort against the Soaring Falcons. PJ Palacielo posted six points and five rebounds, while Steve Nash Enriquez, Jake Figueroa, and Manansala added five points each.
Meanwhile, defending women’s champions UST Growling Tigresses stamped their dominance with a 21-12 victory over Adamson and a 21-15 win against Far Eastern University, booking a slot in Sunday’s final day.
READ: UAAP: FEU boys remain perfect in 3x3 hoops
Kent Pastrana and CJ Maglupay led the way against Adamson, scoring nine and seven points, respectively, with Maglupay also pulling down nine rebounds. Against FEU, the duo reversed roles — Maglupay tallied eight points while Pastrana contributed seven points and seven boards.
UP’s women’s squad also secured a semifinal berth after opening their campaign with a commanding 21-6 rout of University of the East, powered by Louna Ozar’s 10-point explosion. The Fighting Maroons followed it up with a gritty 13-11 win over De La Salle University.
“Every game here, we treat it seriously because all the teams are really strong. We just have to use this as our mindset in every game,” said Ozar, a member of the UAAP Season 87 Mythical Team in women’s basketball.
READ: UAAP: Enriquez, Torres take charge as NU, Adamson stay perfect in men's 3x3
“We want to make it to the podium and get that medal.”
In the men’s division, Amiel Acido of UST and Wello Lingolingo of UE delivered standout performances, helping their teams forge a three-way tie for second place with Adamson.
Acido dropped six points in UST’s 21-18 win over Adamson and then starred in a thrilling battle against FEU. With the game tied at 20-all, Acido drilled a cold-blooded deuce with 11.2 seconds left, capping a nine-point outing and keeping the Growling Tigers in contention.
Lingolingo also shone for the Red Warriors, erupting for 12 points on four deuces in a 21-15 triumph over UP.
In their second game, UE trailed Ateneo 16-15 with just three seconds remaining.
John Abate and Lingolingo executed a textbook pick-and-fade, with Lingolingo draining the game-winning deuce to complete a perfect day. Lingolingo finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in that game.
“Goal namin is makakuha ng medal, especially gold medal. Last year, nag-fall short kami kaya ngayon ni-ready talaga namin yung mga sarili namin para sa mga big games,” said Lingolingo, referring to UE’s heartbreaking 17-16 loss to La Salle in last year’s final.
“Sarap maglaro ng 3x3. Last year ganito din kami. Thankful talaga ako na may liga ng 3x3 dito sa UAAP.”
Adamson, which had gone unbeaten in the tournament’s first two days, slipped to 3-2 after suffering back-to-back losses.
Defending champion La Salle welcomed the return of EJ Abadam, a key player in their title run last season. However, the Green Archers settled for a 1-1 outing—escaping FEU with a 20-19 win before falling to UP, 22-16.
Sean Alter exploded in the win against La Salle, dropping 14 points, including three deuces — the last one sealing the victory and giving UP its first win of the day.
In the women’s division, NU ended the day in solo third with a 3-2 record. The Lady Bulldogs edged Ateneo, 17-15, but fell to Adamson, 21-17, in an upset.
Cheska Apag and Elaine Etang scored seven points each, delivering the Lady Falcons their first win of the tournament.
Meanwhile, La Salle eked out a 10-9 victory over FEU, creating a three-way tie for fourth place alongside Ateneo and the Lady Tamaraws. All three teams ended the day with identical 2-3 records.
Kacey Dela Rosa put up nine points to lead Ateneo past UE, 22-12, later in the evening.
The Lady Warriors remained winless in five games.