CEU, Olivarez keep hot form

Centro Escolar University (CEU) and defending champion Olivarez College continued their rampage to stay on a collision course in the PGFlex-Universities and Colleges Athletic League (UCAL) Season 8 basketball tournament on Monday at the Paco Arena.

Banking on a third quarter onslaught, the Scorpions demolished Philippine Christian University (PCU)-Dasmariñas, 80-67, for their seventh straight win in as many outings to stay on top of the nine-team tournament.

Breathing down their necks are the Olivarez Sea Lions, who romped to their 6th consecutive win with a 79-66 drubbing of the Manila Central University Supremos — thanks to another stellar performance from Hanz Maycong.

Meanwhile, two-time champion Diliman College ended an alarming three-game skid with a 74-63 win over University of Batangas, while Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas gave Philippine Women’s University (PWU) a reality check with a 72-58 thrashing.

The Patriots came into the game still on a high following a 74-73 thriller over Immaculada Concepcion College exactly a week ago that ended a 27-game losing run dating back three seasons ago.

They led 14-13 after the first quarter but the complexion of the game dramatically changed in the second quarter as the Pirates used their height and heft advantage to torment the Patriots and rip the game wide open, 42-28.

PWU never recovered from that jolt and absorbed their fifth defeat in six starts, while PCU-D hiked its record to 3-3.

Four players scored in double figures for CEU but it was Mark Sarza who stood out with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Precious Momowei, a transferee from University of the East, also did well with his 6th double-double showing of 16 points and 11 boards.

Solomon Kone, a 6-foot-8 foreign-student athlete from Mali, struck hardest again with 33 points —12-of-18 shooting — and 22 rebounds as the Diliman Blue Dragons tied the Dolphins for third to fourth places.