UE survives Perpetual for 4th win; La Salle keeps unblemished slate with rout of UST

University of the East continued its stellar run in the FilOil EcoOil 15th Preseason Cup after surviving University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 79-74, on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

With the win, UE improved to 4-4 in Group A and remained in playoff contention while Perpetual sank to 2-4.

A Calvin Payawal triple saw Red Warriors' lead balloon to 10, 57-47, late in the third quarter and the team took a 62-53 cushion heading to the payoff period.

John Abis tied things up at 62 before JP Boral and Jeff Egan gave the Altas the lead, 67-65, midway through the fourth. But UE fended off Perpetual, igniting for a 14-7 closing rampage led by Kyle Paranada to seal the win.

Paranada came out with a team-high 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals while Payawal finished with 10 markers, three boards, and four steals.

Earlier, De La Salle University kept its unblemished slate intact by knocking down struggling University of Santo Tomas, 86-65, to continue leading Group B with a 4-0 card.

Filipino-American Deschon Winston shone for the Green Archers as he returned with a 25-point outing to go along with three assists, two steals, and one rebound while Kevin Quiambao chipped in 12 markers.

UST, who slipped to 1-3, was led by Nic Cabanero who poured 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the loss.

—MGP, GMA News