
By NIKOLE JAVIER
Malick Diouf fired a new career-high of 23 points as University of the Philippines cruised past University of the East, 83-69, in the second round of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament Saturday, Nov, 5, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Diouf finished on a 10-of-13 shooting from the field on top 15 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks to lift the Fighting Maroons to their sixth straight win and climb to a 9-1 record.
UP used a strong 35-18 first-quarter rally where the lead ballooned to 18 points.
However, the Red Warriors managed to cut down their deficit to a single digit in the fourth period as Gani Stevens led the way with key offensive plays, 71-64.
Diouf and Zavier Lucero then exploded in the final three minutes of the contest before Cyril Gonzales capped the 12-0 run with a layup followed by a triple, 83-67.
Lucero, for his part, tallied 17 points on a decent 8-of-12 shooting while Terrence Fortea and Harold Alarcon had 10 markers apiece.
Unlike in their first-round encounter, UE had no tricks up its sleeves to pull off key defensive stops against the reigning champions.
“We started well. We moved the ball well especially nung first quarter, sustain lang what we started. I think ‘yong turnovers first half medyo mataas din. But the way I see naman, the team is nag-iimprove naman kami in terms of chemistry,” UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
For UE’s side, Stevens had 23 points, while brothers Kyle and Nikko Paranada finished with 13 and 13 markers, respectively. Luis Villegas tallied 10 points as it absorbed a 4-6 win-loss card.
The Scores:
UP 83 -- Diouf 23, Lucero 17, Fortea 10, Alarcon 10, Galinato 9, Gonzales 7, Spencer 4, Abadiano 2, Cagulangan 1, Tamayo 0, Lina 0, Torculas 0, Calimag 0, Ramos 0.
UE 69 -- Stevens 23, K. Paranada 13, N. Paranada 13, Villegas 10, Payawal 4, Sawat 2, Abatayo 2, Pagsanjan 0, Remogat 0, Antiporda 0, Beltran 0, Tulabut 0.
Quarters: 35-18, 49-33, 63-55, 83-69.