OLIVAREZ College got back at defending champion Diliman College, 63-56, while Centro Escolar University streaked to its 7th straight win the 5th PG Flex Linoleum-Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Putting their 79-59 defeat to the Blue Dragons in the first round behind, the Sea Lions banked heavily on a strong first-half show to exact revenge and improve their record to 5-3 in the seven-team tournament.
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The CEU Scorpions, on the other hand, exploded for 31 points in the second quarter on the way to another breezy 110-67 win over the hapless Lyceum of Batangas in the second round.
In the other game, Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas drew level with Olivarez College after outlasting Guang Ming College-Tagaytay, 89-82.
With Edmund dela Cruz leading the way, the Sea Lions enjoyed a huge 42-20 advantage at halftime before the Blue Dragons made a desperate attempt to turn the game around in the final half.
In another impressive show, dela Cruz tallied 13 points and 12 boards as Olivarez snapped Diliman’s three-game winning run. Diliman slipped to 6-3.
Up by just 9 points after the opening frame, the Scorpions zoomed to a 55-34 halftime advantage before practically sewing up the match with a quarter left, 79-50.
Lenard Angelo Santiago was almost unstoppable for CEU with 27 points after knocking down 9 triples in just 22 minutes of action.
CEU also mauled Lyceum, 117-60, in the first round.
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