MANILA—The COMELEC Vanguards fended off a furious late-game rally by OP Bagong Pilipinas to secure a razor-thin 94–92 victory on August 9 at the Paco Arena in Manila. 

The hard-fought win officially propelled COMELEC into the UNTV Cup Season 12 quarterfinals, locking up the third spot in the team standings with an impressive 6–3 record.

Despite missing crucial momentum down the stretch after Team Captain Jemuel Namocatcat fouled out in the game’s final minutes, COMELEC leaned heavily on player of the game Vincent Curador. 

Curador delivered a clutch performance with 12 points and 2 rebounds, steadying the Vanguards’ offense and repelling OP’s relentless comeback attempt until the final buzzer sounded.

Refusing to waver in the clutch, Curador reaffirmed his team’s commitment to their battle plan heading into the next round. 

“Then doon talaga sa quarterfinals, gagawin talaga namin lahat yung mga turo ni Coach, lahat ng mga play…wala kaming babaguhin–takbo lang ng takbo yun lang talaga,” Curador stated after his game-winning effort.

Despite taking the agonizing two-point loss, OP Bagong Pilipinas still kept their playoff hopes alive. 

Dropping to a 4–5 record, they managed to secure a spot and advance to the next round, setting up an even higher-stakes quarterfinal stage in the UNTV Cup Season 12.

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