Newcomer World Citi Colleges (WCC) secured its first victory in the UCAL-PG Flex Linoleum 7th Season with a 71-61 triumph over Philippine Women’s University (PWU) on Monday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
After a closely contested battle through the first three quarters, the WCC Skyhawks surged in the fourth quarter with consecutive three-pointers from Ralph De Guzman and RB Lara, establishing a decisive lead.
The strong finish compensated for their earlier 66-54 loss to league-leading Manila Central University (MCU) on Saturday.
Big man Musa Diona powered the Skyhawks with a dominant double-double performance, tallying 20 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists in nearly 34 minutes of action.
Lara provided crucial support, knocking down two triples en route to a 15-point outing, while De Guzman added 8 points.
In the day’s other matchup in this tournament supported by sponsors Akari, CafeFrance, Advance Solutions Inc., Smart Sports, Spalding, Team Rebel Sports, Quintana Sports, Crane Faucet, Hapee Toothpaste, Jiang Nan Restaurant, Vital, Top Flite Academy, Maruyama, and Gerry’s Grill, Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas (PCU-D) stunned fellow opening-day winner Diliman College, 76-70.
The Dolphins caught Diliman off guard with a strong start, dominating the first two quarters to secure their second consecutive victory.
Ram Mesqueriola came off the bench to lead PCU-D with 18 points, while Kingsley Anaba and Jay-R Pronda contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Anaba also recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, PWU, which previously fell to Lyceum of the Philippines University, 77-72, was led by LeBron James Lozano’s 11-point effort in their second loss of the season.
Looking ahead, MCU aims for its third straight win as it takes on Olivarez Colleges on Thursday.
