University of Batangas finally earned the respect it had long strived for, outlasting Philippine Women’s University, 21–16, in a battle of surprise finalists at the 2nd UCAL-PGFLEX 3×3 Championship, Thursday at the MCU Gym in Caloocan.
Ranked No. 4 after the two-round eliminations, the Brahmans leaned on the offensive firepower of James Torrato to topple second-seeded PWU and capture their first championship of the season.
UB now hopes to carry the momentum from its 3×3 triumph into the regular 5-on-5 tournament, where the team has fallen short over the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, PWU’s runner-up finish was already a remarkable achievement, especially considering it lost all its games during the eliminations. The campaign marked its debut as a full-fledged regular member of the league.
The Brahmans booked their finals slot by pulling off a 21–19 upset over top seed Centro Escolar University. PWU, on the other hand, clinched its finals berth with a 21–18 win over Manila Central University.
MCU secured third place by edging CEU, 21–19, in a tournament supported by Akari, CafeFrance, Advance Solutions Inc., Smart Sports, Spalding, Team Rebel Sports, Quintana Sports, Crane Faucet, Hapee Toothpaste, Jiang Nan Restaurant, Vital, Top Flite Academy, Maruyama, and Gerry’s Grill.
Defending champion Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas settled for fifth place.
The league will wrap up its seventh season with the staging of its esports competition.
