Now it all boils down to one game to decide this year’s UAAP men’s basketball championship. As we look forward to tomorrow’s epic finale to this great season, here are 9 interesting facts about the previous Game 3 encounters.
1. This will only be the ninth Game 3 in UAAP finals history. The best-of-three finals format started in 1994.
2. All previous Game 3s were decided by an average of 4.6 points.
3. Two Finals Game 3s went to overtime (1999 and 2006).
4. Only 4 teams that finished on top after the eliminations went on to win Game 3 en route to the championship. This year is the first time a top seed is not going to play a Game 3 (NU).
5. La Salle has been in all but two of the past Game 3 matches. UST has played in 4.
6. UST has the best winning percentage in a Game 3 (75%). La Salle’s record is 3-3.
7. Pido Jarencio was in his first year of head coaching the Tigers when he steered them to the title in 2006 via a Game 3 win over Ateneo.
8. Juno Sauler played in the first Game 3 back in 1994. This is his first year of coaching the Green Archers.
9. This will be the fourth Game 3 between La Salle and UST. In their past 3 championship series that went the full distance , the team that lost Game 1 eventually went on to win the title.
UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals Game 3s
| Year | Winner | Pts | Loser | Pts |
| 1994 | UST | 77 | La Salle | 76 |
| 1995 | UST | 67 | La Salle | 64 |
| 1999 | La Salle | 78 | UST | 75 |
| 2001 | La Salle | 93 | Ateneo | 88 |
| 2002 | Ateneo | 77 | La Salle | 70 |
| 2004* | La Salle | 68 | FEU | 65 |
| 2006 | UST | 76 | Ateneo | 74 |
| 2009 | Ateneo | 71 | UE | 58 |
*Voided
While the entire basketball world remembers “The Shot over Ehlo” more than 20 years ago, we LaSallians will never forget “The Shot over Gelig”.
Game 3: Oct 9, 1999