University of the Philippines and Manila Central University kept their bids for outright semifinal spots alive, while Immaculada Concepcion College pulled off a major upset in the PGFlex Invitational Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The Maroons, led by Nigerian big man Francis Nnoruka, notched a commanding 74-53 win over the Olivarez College Sealions to even their record at 2-2.
Nnoruka delivered another double-double performance, finishing with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
His dominant play helped UP establish a 22-11 lead early, which they maintained throughout the game.
Rey Remogat struggled with his shooting, hitting just 3 of 15 attempts, but contributed significantly with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
In a surprising turn, the ICC Bluehawks pulled off a shocking 90-76 victory over the Adamson Falcons, securing their first win in five games.
Edrian Ramirez led the way for ICC with a stellar all-around performance, recording 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Dowillum Morenos, AJ Flores, and Cervin Laran also made key contributions, scoring 16, 14, and 12 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, the MCU Supremos triumphed in a thrilling 68-64 contest against reigning UCAL champions Centro Escolar University Scorpions.
Mark Joson was a standout, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds, while Rapael Perhis and Brendon Ocampo combined for 23 points.
The win snapped MCU’s two-game losing streak and improved their record to 3-2.
CEU’s Dylan Darbin, who was the hero in their 63-61 win over UP last Monday, struggled in this game, scoring just seven points.
With the results, La Salle and CEU have already secured their spots in the semifinals with 5-0 and 4-2 records, respectively.
