Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay is in, University of Makati is out.
The Eagles used their tremendous height advantage and near-flawless outside shooting to turn back the Wizards, posting a convincing 100-85 triumph to complete the semifinal cast in the fourth National Athletic Association of Schools,Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) basketball tournament at the UM gym.
Five mainstays, led by Benedict Gawat and Chris Navo, produced double-digit scores for the Alvin Zuniga-mentored Eagles, who outscored the foul-plagued Wizards in the second and third periods to win pulling away.
Gawat finished with 18 points, Navo added 17 points and Rey David contributed 14 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Roel Asay had 13 points, including two rim-rattling slams during the Eagles’ decisive third-quarter breakaway, while Anthony Somera had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Gerald Lorica and James Mangaran led the Wizards with 19 and 14 points, respectively, despite being hobbled with foul trouble for most part of the contest.
PLP thus joins three-time champion University of Manila, St. Clare College (Caloocan) and Centro Escolar University in the semifinal round.University of Makati, which finished runner-up to UM in the last two years, failed to advance to the semis for the first time in four years.