MANILA, Philippines - Judiciary overwhelmed Senate with its superb all-around game and fashioned out a 95-75 rout to claim the first championship berth in the third UNTV Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City over the weekend.
Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, forced a sudden death in its own best-of-three semifinal series with Malacañang, hacking out a pulsating 74-73 win.
Former PBA players Don Camaso and Ariel Capus led Judiciary’s attack majority of the contest while forward Kevin Enriquez took over for the Magis at endgame.
Enriquez dazzled the crowd with powerful inside plays to finish with 11 points while Camaso and Capus dished out near-flawless shooting early to beat the Defenders and re-assert their mastery over the Kenneth Duremdes-mentored squad, which they also beat in the elims.
A former member of the Philippine team, Eugene Tan emerged as AFP’s biggest hero after draining two huge triples in the payoff period to help the team repel Malacañang’s comeback.
Tan, who also played for several champion teams in the now-defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL), finished with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. He was eventually chosen as the Best Player of the game.