PBA veteran Chester Tolomia powered the Judiciary Magis to a thrilling 90-85 win over the defending champion DENR Warriors, 90-85, at the close of the double-round eliminations of the 9th UNTV Cup on Thursday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Still strong and deadly at 43, Tolomia scattered 36 points on top of eight rebounds and two assists as the Magis clinched the No. 1 seed in the semis with an 8-2 win-loss record.
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Three-time champion Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Cavaliers suffered an 87-75 defeat to the PNP Responders but still secured an outright semis berth due to the winner over the other rule.
The Cavaliers finished tied for second to third places with the NHA Home Masters at 6-3 but still took the second seed having beaten the Home Masters, 93-66, on March 5.
The win over AFP enabled PNP to secure the last quarterfinal ticket while eliminating the defending champions.
The Responders wound up with a 5-4 card, tying the GSI Furies and the OP-PMS Trailblazers. They play another round with the Home Masters with the top two finishers after the round completing the semis cast.
The quarterfinal round begins on April 11.
Meantime, the Executive Face-Off, a side event for 40 years-old and above, starts on Sunday at the Novadeci Convention Center in Quezon City.
Tolomia was ably supported by Frederick Salamat and another former PBA player Warren Ybanes who chipped in 20 and 13 points, respectively.
Rollie Serrano led PNP with 19 points while ex-UE player Olan Omiping and Anton Tolentino combined for 31 points.
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