In a game reminiscent of an old western shootout, Rey Nambatac and Paolo Pontejos were the protagonists in the movie, with both men blasting the lights out.
However, it was Nambatac who came out on top, as the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights edged out the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 67-62, to gain solo third, Thursday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Letran’s fourth-year gunslinger dropped a game-high 29 points, 15 in the payoff period, to lead the Knights. He was 8-for-18 from the field, knocking down four of his seven three point attempts, and was an outstanding 9-for-11 from the stripe.
“Given naman si Rey. Hindi na ako magtataka diyan eh,” said Letran head coach Jeff Napa about the league’s scoring leader. “Hindi naman tumatakbo ang flow namin kay Rey lang.”
“It so happens lang talaga na siguro sa kanya bumabagsak or talagang pag-create ng mga iba, sa kanya rin bumabagsak.”
With the game tied at 50-all with 7:15 left in the game, JP Calvo was able to steal the ball from a visibly-fatigued Tey Teodoro, leading to a corner triple for Nambatac. Mark dela Virgen then knocked down one of his three triples to answer right back, but Nambatac was feeling it. The Cagayan de Oro native, from way out, dropped a long bomb to spark a 7-0 rally that gave Letran a 60-53 lead.
Searching for offense, JRU head coach Vergel Meneses brought back Paolo Pontejos in the game with two minutes left. Together with Jed Mendoza, the backcourt tandem delivered, scoring five straight points to cut the deficit to just two, 60-62, with 1:06 remaining.
“At least nagawa namin kung ano ang mga dapat naming gawin,” Napa said. “Yung mga mistakes namin from previous games, na-correct namin, and itong mga batang ito, at least sumunod sa game plan.”
With the clock winding down, Nambatac squared up Ervin Grospe and swished a long three to silence the JRU crowd and give Letran a five point edge. Mendoza, though, was able to convert on two freebies with 35 ticks remaining to give the Heavy Bombers a chance. However, the Blue-and-Yellow were far from the penalty situation, only reaching it with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Bong Quinto added 12 points for Letran, while Jom Sollano had a bounce-back game, grabbing 11 rebounds.
For the Heavy Bombers, Pontejos scored 27 points on 11-for-23 shooting. Tey Tedoro, however, played just ten minutes in the game, scoring just four points.
As a team, Letran shot 41.94 percent from the field compared to 35.29 percent for JRU.
The Letran Knights (5-2) will have a week off before facing the red-hot Lyceum Pirates on Friday, August 5 at 12:00nn. The Heavy Bombers (2-4) look to snap out of their two-game losing streak on Tuesday, August 2, against the San Sebastian Stags.
The Scores:
CSJL (67) – Nambatac 29, Quinto 12, Calvo 9, Sollano 4, Balanza 4, Ambohot 4, Luib 3, Bernabe 2, Apreku 0, Balagasay 0, Dela Pena 0, Pambid 0.
JRU (62) – Pontejos 27, Dela Virgen 9, Grospe 6, Lasquety 5, Mendoza 5, Teodoro 4, Poutouochi 2, Abdul Wahab 2, Cruz 2, Dela Paz 0, Astilla 0
Quarterscores: 10-12, 23-29, 44-45, 67-62.
