Coming into the ongoing battle late in the season, the HAU Golden Guardians made their debut with a tough 81 – 58 defeat against the Diliman Colleges (DC) Blue Dragons in the Pinoyliga Cup’s The Big Dance 2025 at Enderun Colleges, August 9.

From the opening tip-off, the Golden Guardians struggled to find their footing, as the opposing team came out firing. Unable to contain the DC Blue Dragons’ early advantage in sharp perimeter shooting and scoring opportunities, the Guardians fell behind early, trailing 13 – 31 at the end of the first quarter.

Still chasing the Blue Dragons on the scoreboard, the Golden Guardians pushed hard to narrow the deficit in the second quarter, firing off a straight 8-point run while holding their opponents scoreless. However, by halftime, the Blue Dragons had extended their lead even further, with the Golden Guardians fighting back to stay within reach at 30 – 48.

What was supposed to be a fight to stay within reach turned into a wider gap in the third quarter, as the Blue Dragons maintained their momentum. Despite this, Joren Gigante led the Golden Guardians’ offense, finishing as their top scorer with 18 points in the 46 – 68 game.

In the final quarter, the Golden Guardians pushed to mount a comeback, but their efforts fell short as the Blue Dragons’ stout defense and composed game management preserved a commanding lead — handing the Golden Guardians an 58 – 81 loss and ending their bid for one of the sixteen spots in The Big Dance 2025.

After the final whistle, both teams were credited with a physical game, as they consistently committed fouls throughout. The Golden Guardians accumulated 21 personal fouls, while the Blue Dragons committed 25.

The Guardians’ participation makes them the third collegiate varsity team to join the amateur basketball league in Pampanga — alongside Angeles University Foundation and Pampanga State University.