A blitzing 18-2 run by the FEU Tamaraws in the fourth quarter instantly turned a one point game into a lopsided affair and they went on to beat the UP Fighting Maroons by 11, 68-57, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The win gives the Tamaraws sole possession of first place with an 8-1 win-loss card with five elimination round games left on their schedule. Meanwhile, UP fell to 3-6 and is tied with the UE Red Warriors for sixth place.

Veteran swingman Roger Pogoy scored 17 points and hit three three pointers, forward Mac Belo finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, and starting guard Mike Tolomia tallied 11 points despite making just a quarter of his field goals.

Also playing big roles off the bench were Francis Tamsi and Monbert Arong who scored nine and eight points, respectively. As a team, FEU had 33 bench points compared to just 17 for UP.

The Tamaraws also imposed their might on the inside, outrebounding the Fighting Maroons by 10, 52-42, and scoring 13 second chance points compared to just two for UP.

Diego Dario led the fight for UP with a career-best 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists while veteran guard Jett Manuel scored 11 points of his own.