What Went Down in UAAP’s NBA2K Tournament Between Ateneo and La Salle
By: Niklas Arriola
An electric home crowd inside the Doreen Black Box Theater in Arete witnessed history as Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Paolo Medina was crowned champion after defeating De La Salle’s Viridis Arcus Esports’ Kegan Yap in the Grand Finals for the inaugural UAAP Esports NBA2K Tournament.
The old-time rivalry between the Taft and Katipunan sides lit up UAAP’s newest stage as the best-of-3 series went the distance with the hometeam pulling away at the last minutes during the decider.
Game 1:
Ateneo: San Antonio Spurs
DLSU: Chicago Bulls
While a nit-and-tuck situation at the opening period ends in a 23-21 scoreline, La Salle was able to pull away with a trey from Zach Lavine early at the second period ignited a 10-2 run that led La Salle to a thirteen-point advantage, 32-45, near halftime.
With combined efforts from guards Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassel, Medina crawled his way back into the third quarter, erasing the deficit and eventually overtaking Yap at 57-54 courtesy of a three-ball from Vassel at the 5:14 mark.
A good defensive setting led by Victor Wembanyama gave the Blue Eagles crucial stops to maintain control at the payoff period, with a Vassel triple expanding Medina’s lead to a seven-point cushion, with 31 seconds remaining and eventually securing the series lead at 77-75.
Game 2:
Ateneo: Sacramento Kings
DLSU: Los Angeles Clippers
A 56-point scoring outburst from Clippers guard James Harden was the lifeline Yap was searching for in order to survive Game 2 with his back against the wall.
A one-man show from Harden during the first quarter showcased him garnering 20 solid points, including a buzzer-beater to put the game in a deadlock at 27-all.
A showdown between Kings’ D’Aaron Fox and Harden ensued during the second quarter, with the latter pulling out a slim 47-48 lead at halftime.
The Clippers guard continued to show dominance throughout the game, pouring in his 56th point in the fourth quarter to put La Salle ahead, 78-85 with 2:23 on the clock.
While a late run from Ateneo trimmed the lead to three, PJ Tucker delivered the dagger to a 89-93 finish to force the series into a do-or-die.
Game 3:
Ateneo: Oklahoma City Thunder
DLSU: Los Angeles Lakers
Medina quickly opened the scoring gates for both teams, ultilizing Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to overwhelm the Lakers’ defense as he scored from inside and outside the arc, with a Isaiah Joe corner three bringing the Blue Eagles up front, 25-15.
The offensive surge continued for Medina as a barrage of threes coming from the Thunder blew the lead open to as much as twenty points, with a slew of empty possessions added to VA Esports’ woes as the Blue Eagles entered the final frame with an eighteen-point advantage, 64-46.
Starting off the fourth with an outside shot from Laker forward Taurean Prince, La Salle connected four consecutive treys to cut the double-digit deficit to eight, but Ateneo was able to cling onto their lead, 74-63, to emerge as the inaugural champions at their home court.
For his two victories, the Ateneo cager explained that pivotal moments during the games came from advice that he picked up from his coach Nite Alparas at the timeouts before the momentum shifts.
“Not gonna lie in the first game when I was down big, I was Wemby (Victor Wembanyama). Coach Nite, he called for a timeout and then he gave me an adjustment,” said Medina, explaining that small offensive and defensive changes opened up opportunities that led to his Game 1 comeback.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, you gotta chill, wag mong madaliin yung game, kailangan mo makascore,” shared Alparas on what he told his player during the final timeout before closing out the series.
Meanwhile, UST Teletigers Erix Delos Reyes will be joining Medina and Yap at the podium after sweeping fellow Tomasian Daemiel Argame in the bronze-medal match, 72-63 & 71-57.
