Riding from an emotional win against the San Beda College Red Lions, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas limited the College of Saint Benilde Blazers to 19 first half points en route to a 70-47 blowout win early Friday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
The Altas quickly blitzed the Blazer defense to a quick 8-1 lead in the first two minutes of the game. After a reverse layup by Smart Elite ambassador Jonathan Grey, the Blazers would not put up a single point on the scoreboard up until the 2:10 mark of the opening stanza. In that stretch, Thompson assisted on three of the five field goals scored by the Las Pinas cagers to give them a 19-3 lead. In addition, even with Bright Akhuetie in foul trouble, Prince Eze more than made up for his production by anchoring the Altas defense. Floaters by Domingo and a fadeaway jumper by Grey closed the quarter with Perpetual up 21-11.
The Benilde offense was absent for most of the second quarter as the Perpetual lead ballooned to a game-high 27 points, 38-11. The Altas made it rain during that rally in draining three three-pointers, including a pullup by Thompson. Benilde was only able to put up two field goals in the quarter capped by a buzzer beating four-point play by JJ Domingo. Both squads entered halftime with the Altas leading 40-19.
With a huge lead entering the third quarter, the Perpetualites went out of the locker room without the intensity they displayed in the first half. Slowly, the once 27 point lead fell to as low as 15 in the quarter as JR Ongteco worked his way on the inside in grabbing fouls and draining hooks. The big man scored five of the 16 third quarter Benilde points. Another pullup three-pointer by Thompson closed the quarter with the lead to 16, 51-35.
It was all Perpetual to close the game as Thompson was all over the place. The Smart Elite ambassador crashed the boards, drove throught the lanes, and dished out to open teammates. For the green side, only Saavedra, Grey, and Domingo were only able to score for the team. Thompson closed out the game with a nifty dish to a driving Gab Dagangon for his sixth triple double of the season.
“Ang sabi ko sa kanila, kelangan natin talunin yung mga nasa ilalim. Okay lang tayo matalo sa mga nasa itaas,” Altas head coach Aric del Rosario disclosed after the game. “Mahirap na pag matalo tayo sa Benilde, EAC puwede tayo bumaba sa standings.” In addition, the veteran mentor confessed that he is no longer surprised that Thompson recorded another triple-double. He had this to say to the doubters that say that Thompson’s stats are padded, “kung ayaw niyo maniwala, kelangan niyo panoorin. Sa ensayo pa lang makikita na nila.”
The now 10-4 Perpetual Altas were led by Scottie Thompson’s triple-double. He had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists on 36 minutes of play. The King Altas also went 7/12 from the field, including 4/6 from downtown. Prince Eze also had an excellent outing with 10 points, 8 boards, and 5 blocks.
The Gabby Velasco-mentored squad only had five La Sallians score in the game. Jonathan Grey led the Benilde five with 14 markers but was just 4/15 from the field. Rookie guard JJ Domingo had 12 points as well.
As a team, the Benilde offense looked lost in shooting just 26% from the field and committing 10 turnovers. The Altas, on the other hand, shot 46% from the field including 7/16 from downtown.
The Perpetual Altas (10-4) will face the EAC Generals on Tuesday, September 22 at 2:00pm while the Benilde Blazers (3-12) have the San Sebastian Stags next on their slate on Thursday, September 24 at 4:00pm.
The Scores:
UPHSD (70) – Thompson 21, Akhuetie 11, Eze 10, Dagangon 9, Ylagan 8, Coronel 4, Sadiwa 4, Dizon 3, Oliveria 0, Tamayo 0, Gallardo 0, Elopre 0.
CSB (47) – Grey 14, JJ Domingo 12, Jonson 7, Ongteco 7, Saavedra 7, Nayve 0, JS Domingo 0, Deles 0, Sta. Maria 0, Castor 0, Dixon 0, San Juan 0, Fajarito 0.
Quarterscores: 21-11, 40-19, 51-35, 70-47
