INQUIRER Sports Top 7 Stories of 2019: Tale of 2 teams in college basketball

There were no shortage of drama, celebrations and iconic moments this year in Philippine sports and there were some that stood out from the rest.

For the next several days, INQUIRER.net runs down the top 7 sports stories of 2019.

It was a tale of two stories in the UAAP and the NCAA this year.

Ateneo made history on its way to a third straight UAAP title while Letran had to go through the wringer to reclaim the NCAA crown.

Dominant through and through, the Blue Eagles became the first UAAP team to complete a 16-0 sweep after beating University of Santo Tomas in the finals.

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

At the forefront of Ateneo’s title run was Thirdy Ravena, who also reached a milestone as the only three-time UAAP Finals MVP.

Ravena was nothing short of spectacular as he averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the finals.

But while Ateneo was expected to win, Letran came out of nowhere as the No. 3 seed and took down title contender Lyceum and defending champion San Beda to rule the NCAA for the second time in five years.

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The Knights also foiled the Red Lions’ bid for a fourth-straight crown behind an inspired effort by Fran Yu, the transferee from University of the East, who found a home at Letran where he rose to stardom.

Yu went on to become Finals MVP after putting up 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the three-game series.