UE ADVANCES TO UAAP SEASON 87 FINALS
University of the East (UE) clinched a spot in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament Finals with a commanding 85-64 victory over defending champion National University Nazareth School (NUNS) on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Junior Warriors will now await their championship opponent, as third-ranked University of Santo Tomas (UST) kept their finals hopes alive by stunning Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) 84-75, eliminating the Baby Tamaraws' twice-to-beat advantage.
UE heads into the championship round with impressive momentum, having won 14 of their last 15 games. Their sole defeat this season came at the hands of FEU-D, a tough 81-66 loss on November 24.
After falling short in last year's Final Four in a thrilling overtime match against FEU-D, UE finally secured their spot in the division’s championship round.
“Our game plan was executed by the boys. Wala akong hihilingin pa. They stuck with the game plan from the first quarter, then second quarter kami lumamang talaga. Yung consistency like before I said nung halftime, ‘yon ang hanap ko ‘eh, yung consistency from first to fourth, especially heading into the finals,” said UE head coach Andrew Estrella.
The Junior Warriors surged in the second quarter after Chester Tulabut’s free throws cut NUNS’ lead to 34-25. Mav Mesina led the charge, scoring 13 points in the quarter to propel UE to a commanding 54-36 advantage at halftime.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Jolo Pascual and Mesina extended UE's lead to 21 points with 7:48 left in the game, effectively sealing their finals berth and securing another dominant victory over NUNS. UE had already defeated the Bullpups twice in the elimination round, with an average winning margin of 19 points.
Mesina was the standout performer for UE, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, along with five assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Pascual contributed 12 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
Jared Ferreros added 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Neil Garcia and Gab Delos Reyes both chipped in 11 points each to complete UE's five double-digit scorers.