In their NCAA Season 91 debut, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas’ Prince Eze led his team with 21 points and ten boards in a 70-61 win over the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates.
In their second round encounter, Eze continued to terrorize the Pirates with a huge 18 points, 18 rebound outing in a dominant 70-42 win over the Muralla-based squad Tuesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
The Altas were masterful on defense in the first half as the team was fluid in containing the passing lanes and forced the Pirates into contested shots. The Aric del Rosario-mentored squad limited their opponents to just six field goals in the opening half, seven of their 20 points coming from the charity stripe.
Perpetual was also unstoppable on offense as Smart Elite ambassador Scottie Thompson disrupted the Pirates’ defense. Thompson was able to score ten points in the half. Moreover, the Season 90 MVP was able to dish out five assists, majority going to John Ylagan who drained four threes in the first half.
Right before the second quarter ended, a scary moment occurred for the Altas as Bright Akhuetie injured his left shoulder. Akhuetie, who had already tallied six points and seven boards in the first half, was in a box out scenario with Victor Nguidjol in the dying seconds of the second quarter. Nguidjol caught Akhuetie’s shoulder that hurt his shoulder. The 18 year old Cameroonian screamed in pain heading into the locker room.
The domination continued in the second half. Eze willed his way in the lane as he outrebounded a thin Lyceum frontline. Without Nguidjol, who was in foul trouble the entire game, and Joseph Gabayni, who is serving the second game of a three game suspension, the Pirates could not stop Eze on offense as well. When Eze and Nguidjol were subbed out of the game with 6:16 to go in the third, the Pirates were able to cut the lead to 15, 50-35, with a 13-4 run behind Shaq Alanes and Mer Ayaay.
In the final quarter, however, the Altas defense again locked down on the Pirates as they limited their opponents to just seven points. Thompson continued his masterful game and eventually ended the game with his fourth triple-double of the season with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists. The game ended with Perpetual winning by 28 points, 70-42.
“Kailangan nila bumawi kasi nakakahiya ang nangyari sa amin sa Mapua,” Altas head coach Aric del Rosario quipped after the game. “Ang basketball, kahit lima lang kalaban mo, kung hindi ka maglalaro, talo. At least ngayon nagising sila at dapat huwag na namin bitawan ang mga remaining games natin.”
Bright Akhuetie was also in high spirits after the game. He told us that he is no longer feeling the pain from the shoulder strain. “It’s back,” he proudly said.
In addition to the masterful performances of Eze and Thompson, John Ylagan was able to score a personal best 15 points with all of his points coming from downtown.
For the Pirates, only two players were able to score in double digits. Jebb Bulawan led the team with a double-double with 13 points and ten boards while Shaq Alanes scored 10 points.
As a team, the lackadaisical Lyceum offense shot just 21% from the field. They were also outrebounded 58-50 but the victors were able to put up 16 second chance points.
The Perpetual Altas will have a tough assignment in their next outing as they face the Arellano Chiefs on Friday, September 4 at 4:00pm while the Lyceum Pirates face the Letran Knights on the same day at 12:00nn.
The Scores:
UPHSD (70) – Eze 18, Ylagan 15, Thompson 13, Dagangon 12, Akhuetie 6, Gallardo 3, Elopre 2, Tamayo 1, Oliveira 0, Dizon 0, Coronel 0, Pido 0.
LPU (42) – Bulawan 13, Alanes 10, Baltazar 4, Lacastesantos 4, Ayaay 4, Nguidjol 3, Malabanan 2, Mbidda 2, Sunga 0, Soliman 0, Marata 0, Taladua 0, Elmejrab 0.
Quarterscores: 17-11, 40-20, 50-35, 70-42
