Routs marked the Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) Season 3 as former champions Centro Escolar University Scorpions and the Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas Dolphins nailed their first wins at the Olivarez College gym in Parañaque City, Thursday afternoon.
First to savor the sweet taste of victory was PCU, who crushed the St. Joseph College of Bulacan Taurus, 108-74, thanks to the team’s well-balanced attack.
Nailing their first win in four games, the Dolphins got off to a strong start, then slowed down a bit in the third before coming through with a blazing finish to end their skid in grand fashion.
With Vincent Remalocia, Omar Mangadan, and Fil-Aussie Laurents Paluoja at the helm, the Dolphins took a 52-36 halftime lead as they produced spurt after spurt alongside dominating the shaded lane.
The Taurus, however, came alive in the third and threatened the Dolphins at 59-50.
But it proved to be their last gallant stand, as the Dolphins came through with a murderous run to finally take the fight out of the Taurus, who suffered their second straight defeat.
The 6-foot-1 Remalocia scattered 24 points on an impressive 8-of-11 shooting aside from tallying nine rebounds and seven assists.
In a show of force, four other PCU players scored in double figures, with Mangadan and Paluoya banging in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The CEU Scorpions, on the other hand, leaned on a the red-hot shooting of Tyron Chan and Rich Guinitaran and the powerful inside plays of the 6-foot-11 Maodo Malick Diouf in the second quarter to dump the Diliman College Blue Dragons, 88-61, in the second game.
Protecting a slim 20-17 lead, the Scorpions outscored the Blue Dragons, 24-9, in the second frame to take full control of the game that enabled them to redeem themselves from a shock 86-83 defeat to Olivarez College in the opener.
The Scorpions were so dominant that they virtually settled the result with one quarter still remaining, as they roared to a 70-45 advantage.
Guinitaran led all CEU scorers with 18 points, while Diouf and Chan chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively.
On Monday, Olivarez take on Lyceum-Batangas before CEU face TIP. Both games will be played at the Olivarez Gym in Paranaque.
