Defending champion Olivarez College avenged its previous loss to Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas, 71-68, to secure the second outright semifinals berth in the PGFlex-UCAL Season 8 Basketball Tournament on Monday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
With foreign-student athlete Hakim Njiasse struggling offensively, Rodel Renon took charge, exploding for 24 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. His performance led the Sea Lions to their second straight victory in the second phase of the eliminations, improving their record to 8-2.
The win allowed Olivarez to join still-undefeated Centro Escolar University (9-0) in the Final Four, while also avenging their 83-77 defeat to the Dolphins last week.
Thanks to their superior records, both CEU and Olivarez will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
Meanwhile, PCU-D and Lyceum of the Philippines-Batangas will be relegated to the quarterfinals, facing the top two finishers from the other bracket — contested by the fifth- to ninth-placed teams after the first phase of eliminations.
Renon received strong support from Jhon Patrick Panelo, who contributed 16 points, and three other teammates who scored six points or more.
In other matches, Immaculada Concepcion College bolstered its quarterfinal hopes by stunning two-time champion Diliman College, 81-78. Meanwhile, University of Batangas notched its third win with an 84-79 victory over Manila Central College.
With the loss, Diliman slipped to a 5-5 record, the same as ICC, while MCU fell to 3-6.
Aaron Wico led ICC’s well-balanced attack with 15 points, supported by Cerwin Laran and Joshua Bulante, who added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
