Mason Amos took matters into his own hands for La Salle, drilling the game-winning triple to lift the Green Archers past University of Santo Tomas, 79-78, for their first win in the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive on Wednesday in San Juan.
With La Salle trailing, 78-76, in the final 18.1 seconds, Jacob Cortez found an open Amos in the corner, and the forward calmly buried the booming three-pointer with 5.6 ticks left on the clock.
“Jacob felt that Mason was the best option to take,” assistant coach Gian Nazario said of the game-winning play.
“It’s just repetitions really,” said Amos, who finished with 13 points and five rebounds. “The saying that I always live by is you miss 100-percent of the shots you don’t take. Even if you see one miss, just keep shooting.”
UST still had one last opportunity to steal the win, but Collins Akowe was forced into a difficult miss as time expired.
Cortez also delivered 13 points and six assists for the Green Archers, while Doy Dungo provided a spark off the bench with 10 points as La Salle notched its first win in this tilt which has Hanes, Buffalo’s Wings N Things, Wallem, BDO, Akari, Smart, Molten, Reyes Barbecue, Nature’s Spring, Tela.com Athletics, Brothers Burger, and Don Benito’s as sponsors.
Akowe tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Mark Llemit also scored 16 markers in the loss that dropped the Growling Tigers to 0-2.
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Meanwhile, Jose Rizal University seized the early lead in the NCAA Bracket after a convincing 66-54 victory over winless Perpetual.
Lawrence Mangubat caught fire for the Heavy Bombers, scoring 11 straight points to turn a tight 53-51 contest into a commanding 64-51 advantage with 5:12 remaining.
He finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists as JRU improved to 2-0.
“Iba rin yung meron tayong pinupuntahan, sinasandalan,” said coach Nani Epondulan. “Good thing na Lawrence has stepped up and nakuha namin yung panalo.”
Fellow transferee Chris Hubilla added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Sean Salvador chipped in 10 points, three steals, and two assists.
Altas rookie Damme De Guzman paced Perpetual with eight points in the defeat, which dropped the Las Piñas-based squad to 0-2.
Titing Manalili and Chad Gammad also came through in overtime as Letran escaped St. Benilde, 75-71.
Manalili scored five of his 14 points in the extra period and added three assists, two rebounds, and two steals, while Gammad contributed five of his 10 points in overtime on top of two rebounds and two steals.
Their efforts backed Jimboy Estrada, who finished with 21 points and five rebounds as the Knights secured their first win in two games.
Still, coach Allen Ricardo refused to read too much into the early showdown between contenders.
“Yung Benilde, mga 20-percent pa lang yan right now,” Ricardo said. “Sa amin din, maraming inconsistencies pa rin and yan yung gusto naming ma-achieve para going to the season, we know how to handle those situations.”
Allen Liwag led the Blazers with 13 points and six rebounds, while Justine Sanchez and Matthew Jucom added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
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Lyceum of the Philippines University also broke into the win column after edging Arellano, 82-75, in overtime.
“It always feels good to win,” said coach Jamike Jarin, whose Pirates bounced back from an opening-day loss to Mapua. “If you look at the bigger picture, we have a lot of things to work on.”
Renz Villegas powered LPU with 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Matthew Rubico flirted with a triple-double after posting 14 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds.
John Ray Ladica continued his strong start as one of Arellano’s promising rookies with 15 points, while Basti Valencia scored 16 off the bench in the Chiefs’ second straight overtime defeat.
The Scores:
First Game:
Lyceum 82 – Villegas 22, Rubico 14, Daileg 13, Ondoa 11, Aurigue 5, Cardinas 4, Aviles 3, Guadaña 2, Peñafiel 2, Matienzo 2, Gordon 2, Villaver 2, Almario 0, Pallingayan 0, Fuentes 0.
Arellano 75 – Valencia 16, Ladica 15, Camay 9, Vinoya 8, Hernal 5, Abiera 5, Demetria 5, Borromeo 4, Buenaventura 3, Geronimo 2, Flores 2, Libang 1, Manansala 0, Langit 0, Perez 0, Barraca 0.
Quarterscores: 10-17, 27-34, 48-54, 68-68, 82-75.
Second Game:
Letran 75 – Estrada 21, Manalili 14, Gammad 10, Santos 8, Buensalida 7, Siena 5, Valdeavilla 4, Hugo 2, Montecillo 2, Sison-Walker 1, Golez 1, Silorio 0, Diamante 0.
Benilde 71 – Liwag 13, Sanchez 12, Jucom 10, Celis 8, Gonzaga 8, Ancheta 7, Morales 7, Torres 3, Cajucom 2, Moore 1, Ronquillo 0, Go 0, Daja 0.
Quarterscores: 19-19, 40-36, 53-48, 63-63, 75-71.
Third Game:
Jose Rizal 66 – Mangubat 21, Hubilla 12, Salvador 10, Garupil 6, Garcia 4, Duque 4, Laurenaria 3, Panapanaan 2, Eligado 2, Peñaverde 2, Masiglat 0, Herrera 0, Agemenyi 0.
Perpetual 54 – De Guzman 8, Borja 7, Corpuz 6, Orgo 6, Roluna 5, Montemayor 5, Gojo Cruz 4, Tulabut 4, Maglupay 3, Gelsano 2, Casinillo 2, Baldoria 2, Magdangal 0, Pizarro 0.
Quarterscores: 22-10, 40-24, 53-48, 66-54.
Fourth Game:
DLSU 79 – Cortez 13, Amos 13, Dungo 10, Gagate 7, Abadam 7, Daep 7, Gollena 6, Pablo 5, Macalalag 2, Kulang 0, Sharma 0, Melencio 0.
UST 78 – Akowe 16, Llemit 16, Buenaflor 11, Danting 10, Cañete 8, D. Sevilla 5, Crisostomo 4, Acido 3, Manding 3, Porter 2, Bucsit 0, Esteban 0, Calum 0.
Quarterscores: 16-22, 43-36, 58-54, 79-78.
