De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas completed “golden doubles” in UAAP Season 88, sweeping the collegiate men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball competitions, respectively, Sunday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

The Green Archers leaned on Luis Pablo to outlast the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, 21-18, in the men’s division, keeping the crown in Taft for a fourth straight season and extending their winning streak in the sport to 13 games.

On the other side, the Growling Tigresses capped a dominant run with a 21-11 victory over the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in the women’s division.

Both the Green Archers and the Growling Tigresses also captured the 5-on-5 titles last December.

The first-ever 3×3 rivalry final was a hard-fought affair, with Ateneo keeping in step with La Salle throughout. It was Pablo— the lone addition from last year’s championship squad—who took charge in the endgame to lift the Archers.

Clinging to a 16-15 lead, Pablo knocked down two free throws and a midrange jumper to give La Salle a four-point cushion. Shaun Tuano answered with a deuce to keep Ateneo alive, but Pablo pushed La Salle to match point with 1:01 remaining.

After another Tuano basket, Pablo attacked the lane and finished a soaring layup for the gold-clinching basket with 36.1 seconds left.

“All Glory to God, sobrang thankful kami kasi matagal na naming pinagpipray ito and talagang nagprepare kami para dito. Sobrang grateful lang and ang sarap sa feeling na nag pay off yung pinaghirapan namin,” said Pablo, who was adjudged tournament MVP after tallying 13 points on 9-of-11 shooting along with nine rebounds in the final.

Earl Abadam and Jcee Macalalag added five and three points, respectively, for La Salle.

Tuano led the Blue Eagles—who improved to a runner-up finish after placing last a year ago—with eight points.

Behind Pablo, La Salle defeated National University, 21-14, in the semifinals, while Ateneo turned to Tuano to oust Adamson University, 21-13, in the other Final Four pairing.

Paul Francisco paced the Bulldogs with eight points in their 17-13 win over the Soaring Falcons to secure the bronze medal.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Meanwhile, Coi Danganan was unstoppable in the women’s final, pouring in nine points to power UST to its third women’s 3×3 title in four years.

Kent Pastrana and Brigette Santos chipped in five points apiece as the Tigresses completed a nine-game sweep of the tournament, winning by an average margin of 10.89 points per game.

It was a fitting ending to Pastrana’s collegiate career by securing the tournament MVP honors.

“Mixed emotions siya sobrang saya ko at the same time nalulungkot ako kasi iiwanan ko na yung team ko, yung minamahal ko na UST,” said Pastrana, who ends her UAAP career with four championships and two 3×3 MVP awards.

“Thank you sa mga teammates ko dahil sa puso nila sa laro. Sa coaches, supporters thank you sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa amin nakuha namin yung panalong ito.”

Victoria Pasilang led FEU with six points, while tournament leading scorer Amyah Espanol was held without a field goal and finished with just two points.

The Tigresses dominated Adamson, 21-10, in the semifinals, while the Lady Tamaraws dethroned defending champions Ateneo, 21-16, in the other semifinal.

Last season’s MVP Kacey Dela Rosa erupted for 12 points in the bronze medal match, leading Ateneo to a 16-14 victory over Adamson.

FEU’s Kirby Mongcopa was named the men’s Rookie of the Year, while UE’s Sybil Oñate took home the women’s Rookie of the Year honors.

The post La Salle, UST complete UAAP basketball ‘golden doubles’ in 3×3 sweep appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Defending champion De La Salle University made quick work of erstwhile unbeaten Ateneo de Manila University, 21-14, to stretch its winning run to six straight games in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s 3×3 Basketball Tournament on Friday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque.

What was expected to be a tightly contested rivalry clash between two undefeated squads instead turned into a one-sided affair, as the Green Archers needed just under eight minutes to dispatch the Blue Eagles and preserve their spotless record.

La Salle wasted no time asserting control, racing to a 9-3 lead in the opening three minutes and never looking back. Consecutive layups from Luis Pablo and a game-sealing two-pointer from Earl Abadam pushed Ateneo to its first loss of the tournament, which is supported by Wilson Philippines and Ayala Malls and sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Pablo delivered a flawless outing, finishing with eight points on 8-of-8 shooting along with six rebounds. Reigning Most Valuable Player Doy Dungo added six points, while Abadam chipped in five.

“Obviously, it was a super fun game, especially dahil we were both undefeated and it’s always a rivalry game between La Salle and Ateneo. It was nice that we showed grit and played as a team today,” Pablo said.

“I think yung maganda sa team namin ay no matter what league, basta kami yung magkakasama, yung brotherhood naman namin kasi on and off the court yon. Whatever the bond na meron kami off the court, nagta-translate yon on the court,” he added.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

On the other hand, National University kept its semifinal hopes alive in the men’s division after outlasting University of the Philippines, 21-16. Vince Reyes led the Bulldogs with nine points and four rebounds, while Jolo Navarro and Tebol Garcia added five points each.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Adamson University also secured its third win after edging Far Eastern University, 21-18, highlighted by Noah Pacquiao’s game-winning two-pointer to snap their two-game skid. Pacquiao finished with 11 points on five deuces, seven rebounds, and three assists.

With these results, UP, NU, and Adamson are tied for third place with identical 3-3 records.

UP holds the edge in the tiebreaker with 108 points, followed by NU with 103 and Adamson with 89.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

The return of Gelo Crisostomo—who helped the Philippines finish fourth in 3×3 Basketball at the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China—sparked University of Santo Tomas to an 18-15 win over University of the East.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Meanwhile, UST continued its dominant run in the women’s division, cruising past De La Salle University, 22-8, to stay unbeaten in six games.

Graduating guard Kent Pastrana posted an all-around performance of six points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block, while Fil-Australian guard Erinn McAlary led the scoring with nine points, along with four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Coi Danganan added seven points, four rebounds, and one steal.

“Lesson learned na sa amin yung nangyari sa amin last year — masyado kami naging kampante. Kung sino yung kalaban, doon kami magfo-focus. And laruin lang namin kung ano dapat yung laro. Dapat hindi namin ibaba yung laro namin. Kung ano yung pinagumpisahan namin, tuloy-tuloy lang dapat,” Pastrana said.

In earlier games, FEU and Ateneo secured semifinal berths in the women’s division after similar wins over NU and UE, respectively.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

The Lady Tamaraws dominated the Lady Bulldogs, 21-7, with Max Dela Torre sealing the win with back-to-back two-pointers.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles defeated the Lady Warriors, 21-8, behind the combined efforts of Kacey Dela Rosa and Hannah Lopez, who scored 12 combined points.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

University of the Philippines kept its semifinal hopes alive with a 20-15 upset of fourth-placed Adamson. Camille Nolasco led the way with nine points, all from three two-pointers.

The loss dropped Adamson to solo fourth with a 3-3 record, while UP joined La Salle in a 2-4 tie for fifth place.

UP holds the edge with 94 points, followed closely by La Salle with 89.

NU and UE have been eliminated from semifinal contention after finishing with identical 1-5 records.

The post Luis Pablo perfect as La Salle dismantles Ateneo in UAAP Men’s 3×3 clash appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Defending champion De La Salle University and archrival Ateneo de Manila University stayed unbeaten on Thursday at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City, clinching the first two semifinal spots in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s 3×3 Basketball tournament ahead of their highly anticipated rivalry clash.

Both the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles now hold identical 5-0 records.

La Salle secured its semifinal berth after defeating the FEU Tamaraws, 21-13, and the UP Fighting Maroons, 21-16, while Ateneo cruised past the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 22-6, before surviving a 21-17 comeback win over the UST Growling Tigers.

Reigning MVP Doy Dungo anchored La Salle’s balanced attack against FEU, finishing with seven points and nine rebounds.

Luis Pablo stepped up in place of EJ Gollena in La Salle’s 21-16 win over UP, delivering 11 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting clip.

“Actually, siyempre may pressure kasi ito yung core na three-time defending champions,” said Pablo about playing alongside La Salle’s championship core of Dungo, Earl Abadam, Gollena, and Jcee Macalalag in the tournament. “Expected na kailangan ko talaga mag-perform pero kasi sa culture namin, pressure is a privilege. Talagang ine-embrace namin yun.”

For Ateneo, Shawn Tuano led the way with eight points, Drew Bongo added six, while Thirdy Ebdane chipped in five in their dominant win over Adamson.

However, the Blue Eagles were tested against UST, erasing a 10-1 deficit to eliminate the season hosts from contention.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

“We’re really not happy about that game because we started slow — they were physical with us, but once we got our adjustments going, we got into a flow,” said Kyle Gamber, who finished with nine points, including three deuces, against UST. “If we just play like that all the time, the championship’s going to be ours.”

The Ateneo-La Salle showdown is set on Friday at 5:20 p.m.

“Tomorrow, expect na mas magiging intense and aggressive kami. Every team that we play against wants to beat us badly. We just have to come in with the right mindset as a collective,” Pablo added.

“It’s a rivalry game. That’s the defending champs. Those are guys who are used to winning. I like a good underdog story. We’re just happy that we get to put out good performances. It doesn’t matter how that game will come out because we’ll still see them in the Final Four stage,” Gamber said.

The Blue Eagles saw a major improvement from last season’s 1-6 record.

Before falling to La Salle, UP edged UST, 21-19, with Paolo Galotera sinking the game-winner. Miguel Yñiguez once again led the Fighting Maroons, finishing with 10 points as they improved to 3-2.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Sharing fourth place with identical 2-3 records are National University, Adamson University, and Far Eastern University, with the Bulldogs holding the points advantage.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Vince Reyes paced NU with seven points in a 21-17 win over the University of the East, but the Bulldogs later fell to FEU, 16-13, after Kirby Mongcopa produced eight points and eight rebounds to lead the Tamaraws.

Adamson, which entered the day in third place, suffered a double setback after losing to Ateneo and later absorbing a stunning 21-11 defeat to UE for the Warriors’ first win of the season. Kristoper Lagat led UE with nine points.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

In the women’s division, the rivalry clash between the UST Growling Tigresses and the NU Lady Bulldogs turned into the quickest match of the tournament so far, as UST needed just 5:14 to secure a 21-8 victory and remain unbeaten, becoming the first women’s team to advance to the Sunday semifinals.

Karylle Sierba led the way for UST with 10 points on four deuces.

“Siguro, nag-stick lang kami sa sistema namin. In-enjoy lang namin ang bawat laro at hindi na-pressure,” said Sierba, who earlier tallied nine points and seven rebounds in UST’s 22-10 win over the UE Lady Warriors.

The Lady Bulldogs, who also fell to UP earlier in the day, 20-13, dropped into a tie with UP and UE at the bottom of the standings with 1-4 records.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Meanwhile, the Lady Tamaraws bounced back strongly, sweeping their Thursday assignments with wins over Adamson (18-9) and UE (21-5) to move into solo second at 4-1.

Amjah Español was in top form, scoring 10 points on three deuces against Adamson and adding 11 points on three deuces again versus UE.

It was a huge rebound from the Lady Tamaraws after last Tuesday’s 2-13 loss to the Growling Tigresses.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Ateneo and Adamson are tied for third and fourth place with 3-2 records, as the Lady Falcons, led by Cheska Apag’s nine points, defeated the Blue Eagles, 18-14.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Ateneo earlier beat La Salle, 19-12, behind seven points each from Kacey dela Rosa and Kai Oani.

The Lady Archers, fifth with a 2-3 record, closed the day with a 19-14 win over UP, powered by Kyla Go’s 13-point performance.

The post La Salle, Ateneo stay unbeaten, set up blockbuster UAAP Men’s 3×3 rivalry clash appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.