Alfred Joseph Flores, standing at just 5-foot-8, made a significant impact during the opening of the UCAL-PG Flex Linoleum 7th Season on Thursday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The crafty guard delivered a stellar performance, recording a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds, helping newcomer Immaculada Concepcion College-Caloocan secure an impressive 81-71 victory over Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas in front of a lively crowd.
Flores also contributed five assists, earning the Player of the Game honors in the 10-school league, supported by Akari, CafeFrance, Advance Solutions Inc., Smart Sports, Spalding, Team Rebel Sports, Quintana Sports, Crane Faucet, Hapee Toothpaste, Jiang Nan Restaurant, Vital, TopFlite Academy, Maruyama, and Gerry’s Grill.
In the second game, Manila Central University got 13 points each from Seanne Devon General and Dennis Laconsay to edge out University of Batangas, 95-90.
Host Diliman College also pulled off an upset, defeating three-peat-seeking Centro Escolar University, 65-55.
The Blue Dragons held the Scorpions scoreless in the final three minutes while erupting for 10 points to avenge last year’s loss.
Matthew Calilong was crucial in the late rally, scoring six of his 17 points during that stretch.
Solomon Kone led the Blue Dragons with 18 points.
The ICC and LPU-B game was a back-and-forth battle in the first half, but the Blue Hawks managed to break away midway through the third quarter, maintaining their lead in the fourth for the surprising win.
Flores was supported by Jared Loi Vento and Edrian Mark Ramirez, who contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively, along with 14 rebounds combined.
Alpha Bah led the Pirates of Batangas with 14 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, World Citi Colleges, another newcomer in the fast-growing league, will debut against MCU on Saturday.
