Determined to keep their unblemished slate immaculate, the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers were all claws out in the gold medal match, thwarting the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers in dominant fashion 14-8.

Banking on the power duo of Jaezel Perias and Mel Blanco, the Tigers pressed the gas early in the game to distance themselves at 7-0. The Panthers immediately responded thanks to their aggressive offense and inched their side at 8-5 before forcing the Perias-led squad to call for time.

After a series of well-executed plays and several miscues from the Panthers, the Tigers managed to eke out their opponents’ rattled defense as Perias scored via a layup to widen their lead to 12-7. Blanco eventually tightened their grip for gold after scoring in the free throw.

Both teams traded shots at the hoop, but the Panthers could not keep up with the score gap. The orange-clad crowd came alive after the Tigers took possession of the ball with less than 20 seconds of the shot clock. The match ended 14-8, in favor of the Tigers.

“Grabe yung pressure [in representing our cluster] kasi gusto naming mag 4-peat ang SEA sa Palaro and gusto lang din talaga naming manalo,” Perias said on her performance throughout the one-day tournament.

The third-year BS Civil Engineering major added that precise communication regarding their lapses and strategies before and after the game was the most crucial element in their victory, attributing to the challenges posed by their limited training time and the pandemic.

Prior to the championship match, the Tigers faced the Humanities and Letters (HumLet) squad in a thriller semis, where Tiger Krislet Shane Molina delivered the buzzer-beater shot in overtime. 

Meanwhile, the HumLet wolves regained their composure just in time for the battle for third place and snagged the last medal in contention against the equally resolute Business and Management Vipers, 7-4.

The 10-minute game was a close one, with no lead swelling beyond four points all throughout the match. HumLet Wolves team captain Farrah Faye Suarez of AB Interdisciplinary Studies shone bright in the nip and tuck affair, scoring the clutch points for her team. Kyle Esteves also joined the Wolves’ scoring barrage in the mid-frame after an open shot. 

“Yung na enjoy ko in today’s games was yung teamwork.  Although wala kaming masyadong practices, naging maganda yung teamwork sa defense and offense kanina,” Farrah Suarez said. 

First game jitters took the toll on the Wolves’ performance early in the eliminations, but she added that her team’s chemistry and enjoyment were the game-changers in their title-bid conquest.