Malick Diouf turned an ugly start into an ultimate show of force to power University of the Philippines to a 91-70 victory over Adamson University in Season 85 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men's basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Diouf, a 6-foot-11 transferee from Centro Escolar University, was a menace on the defensive end, hounding the Falcons all game long to help the Fighting Maroons chalk their fifth straight win for a commanding 8-1 win-loss record entering the crucial stretch of the eliminations.

In the first game, University of the East snapped a three-game slide when it registered a 30-point massacre of University of Santo Tomas, 81-51.

CJ Payawal was sizzling hot, firing 15 of his 17 points from the rainbow area while posting eight rebounds and five assists for the Red Warriors, who are trying to catch the bus headed for the Final Four with a 4-5 win-loss card.

The Red Warriors ended the first quarter with a manageable 25-14 lead at the end of the first period but stepped on the gas in the second half to jack up their lead to as many as 34 points, 81-74, in the final 41.3 seconds.

UE coach Jack Santiago said they didn't do anything special other than demoralizing the lowly Growling Tigers early through their airtight defense and superior firepower.

"Our plan was not let UST get involved. Their morale is down but that's what makes them scary," Santiago, who used to be an assistant coach for Franz Pumaren during De La Salle University's championship runs in the previous decade, said.

"That's why I told the boys to not make the game close. The sooner we break away in the game, the better."

Still, the day belonged to UP.

Diouf, a 23-year-old slotman from Senegal, shot a career-high 20 points on a sparkling 7-of-11 shooting from the field on top of eight rebounds and five steals.