Action between La Salle and UP in the UAAP Season 88 men's 3x3 basketball tournament, April 30, 2026 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City. UAAP Media
MANILA -- Defending champion De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University are through to the Final 4 of the UAAP Season 88 men's 3x3 basketball tournament.
The Blue Eagles and the Green Archers booked their spots in the semis ahead of their highly-anticipated rivalry clash, set for Friday at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
Both teams improved to 5-0 after Thursday's games, with La Salle securing its semis ticket thanks to a 21-13 win over Far Eastern University and a 21-16 triumph over the University of the Philippines.
Ateneo, meanwhile, cruised past Adamson, 22-6, before escaping with a 21-17 victory over the University of Santo Tomas.
Reigning MVP Doy Dungo anchored La Salle's balanced attack against FEU, finishing with seven points and nine rebounds. Luis Pablo then 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.
Ateneo's Kyle Gamber in action in the UAAP Season 88 men's 3x3 basketball tournament, April 30, 2026 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City. UAAP Media
"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.
Sharing fourth place with identical 2-3 records are National University, Adamson University, and Far Eastern University, with the Bulldogs holding the points advantage.
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.