COMPOSURE PREVAILED for the UST Teletigers (TGR) Chaos as they clinched the Smart University Clash: Rise of Heroes title at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall on Sunday.
The Teletigers dominated the tournament after sweeping the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) Aduana in a best-of-five Mobile Legends: Bang Bang finals bout, 3-0.
“Our mindset… was ‘win or lose.’ What was important [for us] was to demoralize the opponent,” Teletiger captain Arjohn “Hev Arj1” Roxas told The Flame.
“In a best-of-five series, what matters most is composure, [so] we really prepared ourselves in [tough] situations like this,” he added.
TGR Chaos drew first blood in the series after overcoming a five-kill deficit, with game one MVP Andrei “Hev Seiji” Santos achieving four straight kills to close the gap, 15-14. This allowed UST to push towards UCLM’s base and win a clash after Teletigers Hev Seiji and jungler Wayne “Hev Ali” Valentino decimated Aduana with two kills apiece, winning the opener, 18-16.
UST maintained its advantage early in the second match with an 11-1 kill lead.
Aduana fought back with three straight kills in a clash to halt the Teletigers’ momentum, 13-4. However, Chaos continued to be on a rampage, 29-15, led by roamer Hev Arj1 who had 27 assists to seal a 2-0 series lead.
During the pivotal third game, the top Luzon team remained in control, overwhelming the Cebu-based squad with a 30-12 advantage.
“Coming to the tournament, we were confident that we could reclaim the crown for [España], so our emotions [were really high] while holding the trophy because all our team’s hardships were worth it,” Roxas said.
UST Midlaner Aaron “Aaronqt” Lim finished as the MVP of the title-clinching match with an 11-4-19 kill-deaths-assist ratio. He was also hailed as the league’s Finals MVP and was awarded with a P10,000 cash.
The Teletigers took home a P120,000 cash prize.
The Smart University Clash: Rise of Heroes opened its qualifiers to 128 university teams with only the top two teams from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao advancing to the best-of-three playoffs.
Among the eight teams that competed was Teletigers Fury, but they fell to UCLM Aduana, 2-0. Batangas State University’s GD Aurelion and Nine Lives represented Luzon. Holy Name University’s HNU Falcons A and UCLM Aduana topped the Visayas qualifiers. Davao Oriental State University’s DOrSU Stallions and Liceo de Cagayan University’s LDCU EXPLICT advanced to the playoffs after besting their rivals from Mindanao.
The Teletigers are set to represent NCR Metro west region in the upcoming Alliance Games on July 17-21 at the National University Laguna. F – Jade Alecksandra Bagas
