LAST SEASON’s silver medalists UST Teletigers Esports Club settled for bronze after falling to the DLSU Green Aces, 2-0, in the UAAP Season 87 esports Mobile Legends: Bang Bang semifinals at the Gateway 2 Quantum Skyview on Friday, May 16.
The España squad entered the playoffs undefeated with a 3-0 record but failed to sustain its momentum against the Taft squad during the semifinals match.
DLSU took control early in Game 1 by capitalizing on a team fight in the turtle at the four-minute mark to take two kills, 2-0.
UST captain Arjohn Roxas’s Hylos tried to counter Ryu Godoy’s Baxia, but the DLSU bet proved too hot to handle, 9-1.
The Teletigers failed to find their rythm as the DLSU Esports team unleashed a team fight to close out the game with an 11-point advantage, 13-2.
In the second match, the two teams targeted similar bans but Roxas was able to pick his signature hero, Jawhead.
“We expected them to use Baxia as a counter pick for Jawhead, but I said that I’ll just go for Jawhead because that’s our only condition to always be ahead,” Roxas told The Flame.
UST gained the upper hand early after a turtle fight at the 4:40 mark, 3-1. However, a failed bottom lane gank attempt by Roxas allowed DLSU to regain its control.
“We had a hard time in our top lane, top or bottom lane, because we didn’t expect Baxia to be there and I flickered in Moscow. Maybe that’s where our mistakes started. But the whole early game, we played well. We just needed to pull apart,” Roxas said.
“We were ahead in terms of money, but they were ahead in terms of tower,” he added.
The turning point came after a loss during the Lord fight. Following the deaths of Roxas, side laner Rameul Belga and rookie Juliann Ortega, the Teletigers crumbled in the final push.
Despite a close 13-12 kill count, DLSU sealed the Game 2 and shrugged off UST’s finals hopes.
Teletiger head coach Hermogenes Arayata IV praised the rookies and vowed for a championship next season.
“It’s not a matter of whether they’re veterans or rookies. They showed that they have a fight, they’re willing to learn and they’re willing to sacrifice to get what they want,” Arayata IV said.
“These guys will be champions. That’s guaranteed,” he added.
The bronze medalists roster includes Roxas, Belga, Ortega, Denmar Balingit, Benjamin Errol Lukban and Matt Canarejo. F
