Patrick James Balubar and Tristan Gad formed a deadly one-two punch as Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas smothered two-time champion Diliman College, 96-76, to book a semifinal berth in the PG Flex-UCAL Season 8 Basketball Tournament on Thursday, April 9, at Paco Arena in Manila.
The 6-foot-1 Balubar was everywhere, tallying 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Gad, meanwhile, repeatedly broke down Diliman’s defense with his torrid outside shooting, sinking four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points.
Heroes emerged for LPU-B on the day the country celebrated Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), as four other players—including 6-foot-5 Terry Mark—contributed at least eight points each.
(C) UCAL
Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas also advanced to the semifinals with a 103-73 rout of Manila Central University, powered by the all-around performances of JayR Pronda and Kingsley Anaba.
Pronda knocked down four triples en route to 22 points, while also dishing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds.
Anaba maximized his height advantage, posting a dominant 20-point, 20-rebound outing along with four assists.
In the semifinals on Monday, April 13, the Pirates will face top-seeded Centro Escolar University, while the Dolphins will take on No. 2 and reigning champion Olivarez College.
CEU and Olivarez hold twice-to-beat advantages in the Final Four after finishing first and second in the two-phase eliminations with 10-1 and 8-3 records, respectively, in the event backed by Akari, Advance Solutions Inc., Smart Sports, Spalding, Quintana Sports, Crane Faucet, Hapee Toothpaste, CafeFrance, Vital, TopFlite Academy, Maruyama, Gerry’s Grill, Mighty Bond, and Undftd Sportswear.
Despite the daunting task of beating CEU twice, the Pirates hold the distinction of being the only team in the nine-school league to defeat the Scorpions in the eliminations, 79-76.
