BEHIND JUSTIN Lagac’s heroic efforts in Group A, the Ateneo Blue Eagles caught fire and surged in the standings in the inaugural University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Esports NBA 2K competition.
Lagac engineered an undefeated run with dominant wins over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws Esports, National University (NU) Bulldogs, and University of the East (UE) Zenith Esports to capture a semi-finals ticket in Group A. However, his teammate Luis Jovellanos exited the competition after dropping a must-win match against De La Salle University (DLSU) Viridis Arcus Esports in Group B.
The tournament’s second day took place yesterday at the Areté’s Doreen Fernandez Black Box in Quezon City.
Ateneo: Los Angeles Lakers vs. FEU: Oklahoma City Thunder (Group B)
In search of his second victory of the tournament, Jovellanos opted to select the crowd favorite Los Angeles Lakers as he took on FEU’s chosen team of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Carrying over his momentum from his previous victory, the Blue Eagle racked up a massive lead that proved too difficult to overcome for his opposition, taking the victory in convincing fashion, 52-35.
Ateneo: Boston Celtics vs. FEU: Los Angeles Lakers (Group A)
Debuting for the Blue and White was Lagac who subbed in for Team Captain Paolo Medina due to personal reasons.
Lagac’s first outing of the day was yet another edition of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry with the Blue Eagle opting for the Eastern Conference powerhouse. The opening frame proved to be a slugfest as both players struggled to get their offenses going. Ultimately, the action racked up by the end of the canto as Ateneo grabbed a slim 10-8 advantage via a Jrue Holiday slam and a smothering Jayson Tatum stop on LeBron James.
This back-and-forth bled over to the second with the Blue Eagle holding on to a 17-15 cushion with 1:58 remaining. However, the final two minutes of the quarter became a one-sided affair, as Lagac converted three unanswered buckets courtesy of the superstar duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, securing a 23-15 advantage.
On a mission to open the floodgates, Lagac focused his attention on the defensive end, locking down his opponent and only allowing five FEU points throughout the third for a 36-22 lead. The final quarter played out similarly to the previous, with the Blue Eagle cementing his first victory in landslide fashion, 52-27.
Ateneo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. UP: Los Angeles Lakers (Group B)
Familiar with the Bucks’ playstyle on both ends, Jovellanos maximized the team’s inside presence to dominate the paint against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons’ Lakers. The patented Damian Lillard to Giannis Antetokounmpo alley-oop play catapulted Jovellanos to a 14-point lead over his Katipunan rival at the end of the first half, 27-13.
The Atenean showed vast improvements from day one with the utilization of his chosen team, banking on more patient playmaking to find Lillard in the mid-range while upping the volume of kickouts to the perimeter.
Jovellanos also displayed better defensive rotations, limiting UP to a mere 34-point showing by stopping the Lakers’ interior-oriented offense which has been fairly successful thus far in UAAP 2K. The two-way adjustments made by the Blue Eagle stalwart allowed him to take a dominant 56-34 win.
Ateneo: Los Angeles Lakers vs. NU: Los Angeles Clippers (Group A)
Following his impressive debut, Lagac dominated another rivalry-featured match. This time, the Atenean played as the Lakers against NU’s pick of the Clippers in a battle of Los Angeles-based teams. Maximizing the complementary pieces in a LeBron-led squad, Lagac racked up one of the highest scores in the tournament with a 72-52 victory. The Blue Eagle’s ability to consistently attack the paint and shoot a high-rate of three-pointers prevailed over the two-way capabilities of NU’s star-studded Clippers roster.
Ateneo: Boston Celtics vs. AdU: Los Angeles Lakers (Group B)
In a quest to replicate Lagac’s fortune in his own classic rivalry match, Jovellanos’ Celtics dominated the early stages of the contest against Adamson University’s Lakers with impeccable play on both ends, 23-8. Adding to his already impressive margin, Jovellanos knocked down a triple with Kristaps Porzingis to conclude the first half with a commanding 30-12 lead.
Putting the finishing touches in another masterful performance, the Blue Eagle continued to string together multiple sequences of great ball movement and lockdown defense. The outing ended with Ateneo standing tall in a comfortable 55-37 victory.
Ateneo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. DLSU: Boston Celtics (Group B)
Looking to triumph in a must-win game to qualify for the semi-finals in the Group B bracket, Jovellanos decided to stick to his strengths with the Bucks against La Salle’s selection of the Celtics. Despite mastering the team’s offensive sets, the highly effective pick and roll action wouldn’t be enough to topple Boston’s defensive prowess.
Being able to switch any defender on a Bucks player, the Taft-based player capitalized on his team’s versatility to counter Jovellanos’ plays. Being limited to 43 points in the game, the Blue Eagle also found difficulty stopping the red-hot shooting from the Celtics. With his 43-60 setback, Jovellanos was consequently eliminated from semi-final contention with a total of four wins in the Group B standings.
Ateneo: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. UE: Boston Celtics (Group A)
Closing out his flawless campaign, Lagac turned to the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Thunder to neutralize UE’s choice of the 2024 NBA champions. In yet another display of expertise, the stalwart took out the competition in a landslide 51-32 victory.
With Lagac’s triad of convincing victories, he steals Group A’s second and last semi-final ticket with five points, getting the nod over fellow five-win teams UP and FEU due to the tournament’s tiebreaker rules.
Ateneo-A will face Group B’s undefeated University of Santo Tomas Teletigers Esports Club in the playoffs later today at 12:00 PM at the same venue.
Group A Standings (W-L):
- UST Teletigers Esports Club (6-1)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (5-2)
- FEU Tamaraws Esports (5-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-2)
- DLSU Viridis Arcus Esports (3-4)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-5)
- UE Zenith Esports(1-6)
- NU Bulldogs (0-7)
Group B Standings (W-L):
- UST Teletigers Esports Club (7-0)
- DLSU Viridis Arcus Esports (6-1)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (4-3)
- FEU Tamaraws Esports (3-4)
- NU Bulldogs (3-4)
- UE Zenith Warriors (3-4)
- AdU Falcons (1-6)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-6)
