By: Anton Guarina
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA scored a come-from-behind 80-77 win against Mapua University, earning its second win in the 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup’s Group A, Tuesday in San Juan City.
The Cardinals led by as much as 18, 49-31, off a layup made by Toby Agustin late in the first half, but Perpetual rallied to cut the deficit to six, 57-63, after three periods.
Trailing 62-70 with 6:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, Jielo Razon initiated an 8-0 run to tie the game.
Rey Barcuma sank a trey to give Perpetual its first lead 75-73, with 2:45 remaining.
Kim Aurin made a jump shot bringing the score to 77-73, but Joaquin Garcia shot two freebies cutting the deficit to two with 24 seconds left.
Marcus Nitura was sent to the line and made both his free throws to virtually give the Altas the victory 79-75, with just 13 seconds left on the game clock.
“Kasi the last time we played against Mapua, badly beaten kami e. Elimination round, ang laki ng nilamang samin. Sabi ko sa kanila ‘Eh pag ganyan ulit ang nangyari satin, baka pag nakita natin sila sa season 98, iba na tingin natin sa kanila pag nagka kumpyansa na masyado’. Ngayon, morale boosting yung panalo. Medyo maganda yung players nyan pag-dating sa dugout mamaya,” Perpetual head coach Myk Saguiguit.
Aurin starred for Perpetual, registering 18 markers, three boards, and three assists.
Barcuma finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and three dimes, while Jielo Razon had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds along with four assists.
Perpetual hiked its record to 2-3 while Mapua remained winless at 0-5.
On the other hand, Marc Cuenco is one of the three double-digit scorers who led the way for Mapua finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Meanwhile, Toby Agustin and Garcia had 14 and 11 points, respectively.
University of Perpetual Help (2-3) will next face University of the East (2-4) on Thursday at 3:00 P.M. at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City. Meanwhile, Mapua University (0-5) will go up against Emilio Aguinaldo College (2-2) earlier in the day at 1:00 P.M.
The Scores:
Perpetual Help 80 — Aurin 18, Barcuma 13, Razon 12, Nitura 12, Ferreras 7, Flores 5, Boral 4, Nunez 4, Martel 3, Cuevas 2, Egan 0.
Mapua 77 –– Cuenco 18, Agustin 14, Garcia 11, Parinas 10, Lacap 9, Soriano 8, Salenga 4, Mercado 3, Evangelista 0, Milan 0.
Quarterscores: 13-24, 35-49, 57-63, 80-77.
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The entire 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup will stream LIVE on Smart Sports Facebook page
