Games Sunday
(Pasig City Sports Center)
3 p.m. – NHA vs Malacañang-PSC
4:30 p.m. – Senate vs AFP
Senate came through with a huge defensive effort in fourth quarter and ousted last year’s champion Philippine National Police, 74-66, to advance to the semis of the 6th UNTV Cup held over the weekend at the Pasig City Sports Center.
With Gari Sevilla and former PBA player Jeff Sanders anchoring the team’s fluid game, the Senate Defenders erased a 58-55 deficit early in the fourth behind a decisive spurt which proved huge enough to take the fight out of the Responders.
Apart from their impressive transition plays, the Defenders were rock-solid defensively as they held the Responders to just 8 points while scoring 19 points.
With the win, the Defenders arranged a best-of-three semis duel with top seed and two-time champion Armed Forces of the Philippines beginning this Sunday.
Sevilla led the Defenders with 22 points while James Ryan Mangaran and Sanders chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively, aside from making life miserable for PNP’s top gun Olan Omiping.
Omiping was held to just 13 points in the tournament offering R4 million to the chosen charity of the champion team.
For topping the two-round elims of the event organized by UNTV through its president and CEO Daniel Razon, the AFP Cavaliers need just to beat the Defenders once to book a return trip to the finals.
Senate’s win overshadowed the 79-64 drubbing of Malacañang-Philippine Sports Commission of Judiciary in the second game.
Malacañang-PSC will face second seed National Housing Authority in their best-of-three semis series.