Gerry Abadiano dropped 22 points as the University of the Philippines avenged its first round loss against Ateneo de Manila University, 65-60, on Sunday in UAAP Season 86 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Abadiano had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal on top of his career-high in scoring.
Ateneo had a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 54 before Harold Alarcon broke the ice for UP with a triple and reclaim the lead, 57-54. Abadiano widened UP's lead to five before a Jason Credo three-point play cut Ateneo's deficit to two.
Mason Amos then hit a triple after Francis Lopez and Harold Alarcon's shots to trim the Blue Eagles' deficit to three, 63-60. Joseph Obasa went inside the paint and missed his shot, but Abadiano's freebies sealed the deal for UP.
Malick Diouf registered a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Lopez and Alarcon had 10 points apiece.
Jared Brown paced the Katipunan-based squad with 18 points, while Obasa had 11 points and 16 rebounds.
With the win, UP improved to 8-1, while Ateneo dropped to 4-5.
Earlier, Adamson University (4-5) defeated Far Eastern University (3-6), 63-54.
UAAP action will return on Saturday with Adamson taking on University of Santo Tomas, while Ateneo will go against NU at the Mall of Asia Arena.