Dylan Darbin hit a clutch jumper with barely a second remaining, as Centro Escolar University spoiled Rey Remogat’s debut for University of the Philippines, securing a 63-61 victory on Monday night in the PGFlex Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Paco Arena in Manila.
A transferee from the University of the East, Remogat impressed in his first game of the pre-season tournament, recording 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds in nearly 29 minutes of play.
However, it was Darbin who denied him the ending he had hoped for.
JR Jopillo led CEU with 17 points and seven rebounds. Darbin added 15 points, with most of his contributions coming in the third quarter, where they outscored the Maroons 17-11.
The victory – their fourth in five games – secured CEU’s spot in the semifinals. It joins La Salle, which extended its winning streak to five games with a dominant 105-79 win over Immaculada Concepcion College.
Meanwhile, Adamson notched its first win in three games, defeating Manila Central University 56-50, thanks to a 13-point performance from Allen Ignacio.
With a 1-2 record, the Maroons now need to win their remaining three elimination-round games to secure the third and final outright semifinal berth in the seven-team tournament.
The bottom four teams will enter a second round, with the top team from that group claiming the fourth semifinal spot.
In the other game, La Salle held a slim 21-14 lead in the opening quarter but exploded in the second, as Kean Baclaan, Mason Amos, and Jacob Cortez combined for several scoring runs to push the lead to 53-30.
Baclaan, playing just 28 minutes, delivered a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists. He was perfect from two-point range, making all six of his attempts, and also drained three of seven three-point tries.
Amos contributed 18 points and five rebounds, while Cortez added 13 points.
