Games on 17 November:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
11 a.m. — La Salle vs Adamson
1 p.m. — UE vs NU
4:30 p.m. — UP vs FEU
6:30 p.m. — UST vs Ateneo
Malick Diouf reset his personal-best offensive output to power the University of the Philippines to an 83-69 victory over University of the East that assured the defending champion of at least a playoff for a Final Four seat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 men's basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Saturday.
The Senegalese center had another impressive outing with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting to steer the Fighting Maroons to their sixth straight victory and a 9-1 win-loss record on top of the standings.
Diouf, who punctuated UP's 12-0 blast to open the lopsided match, bested his 20-point performance against Adamson University last Wednesday. He also grabbed 15 rebounds and had four assists.
The Fighting Maroons came out strong in the first quarter, jumping on 12 straight points capped by a layup by Diouf with 6:54 left.
UP opened its biggest lead, 32-14, with a Cyril Gonzales triple with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
"We started well. We moved the ball well, especially in the first quarter. However, towards the second quarter, we just need to learn to sustain what we started," UP coach Goldwin Monteverde said.
"But the way I see it, the team is improving with our chemistry. What's important is we just need to learn how to sustain that," he added.
The Warriors behind the career game of Gani Stevens trimmed the Fighting Maroons' lead to seven twice in the game.
Stevens scored on a putback to shave UE's deficit to 64-71 with 4:02 left only to see UP counter with 10 unanswered points to open an 81-64 gap with just 1:07 remaining in the game.
Zavier Lucero got 17 points while Terrence Fortea and Harold Alarcon chipped in 10 markers each for UP, which had no point contribution from ace forward Carl Tamayo.
The Season 84 Rookie of the Year was scoreless after missing all of his four attempts from the field and committed four turnovers in just 13 minutes of action. He pulled down three boards.
The Maroons can secure a fourth straight semifinals appearance with a win over Far Eastern University on 17 November when action resumes following a two-week break to give way to the country's campaign in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier fifth window.
UE slipped to a 4-6 record as it dropped to seventh spot.
Stevens saw his personal-high 23 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks go down the drain.
Kyle Paranada had 15 markers, while Nick Paranada and Luis Villegas posted 13 and 10 points, respectively, in a lost cause for the Red Warriors.
In the other game, Cedrick Manzano buried the go-ahead and-one as undermanned Adamson University came from behind to down University of Santo Tomas, 56-55.
The Scores:
First game
UP (83) — Diouf 23, Lucero 17, Fortea 10, Alarcon 10, Galinato 9, Gonzales 7, Spencer 4, Abadiano 2, Cagulangan 1, Tamayo 0, Torculas 0, Calimag 0, Lina 0, Ramos 0.
UE (69) — Stevens 23, K Paranada 15, N Paranada 13, Villegas 10, Payawal 4, Sawat 2, Abatayo 2, Pagsanjan 0, Tulabut 0, Beltran 0, Antiporda 0, Remogat 0.
Quarters: 35-18, 49-33, 63-55, 83-69.
Second game
Adamson (56) — Manzano 19, Douanga 9, Torres 8, Jaymalin 6, Sabandal 4, Colonia 4, Barasi 4, Yerro 2, Hanapi 0, Flowers 0, Fuentebella 0, W. Magbuhos 0.
UST (55) — Cabanero 22, Pangilinan 9, Manaytay 6, Manalang 5, Garing 5, Faye 3, Calimag 3, Duremdes 2, Lazarte 0, Gesalem 0, Mantua 0, Herrera 0, Escobido 0.
Quarters: 11-17, 19-31, 40-50, 56-55.