After all the talk that the Arellano University Chiefs were pre-season favorites to win it all this season, the defending NCAA champions made sure that they remain in the conversation.
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, powered by the Cagayan de Oro tandem of Rey Nambatac and McJour Luib, out-hustled the Arellano University Chiefs in an 89-79 win, Thursday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Against the heralded backcourt tandem of Jio Jalalon and Kent Salado, Nambatac was outstanding, pouring in a game-high 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting while filling up the stat sheet with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. As an added bonus for Letran, Luib gave his best offensive output this season with 17 markers, five coming from downtown.
“Kanila na yung best backcourt. kami naman, ano lang naman, kumbaga simple lang naman ang mga batang ito,” said Letran head coach Jeff Napa about the match-up. “Hindi naman nila tine-take credit kung ano man ang ano nila, basta naglalaro lang sila at their own. At their best, ipapakita nila yung worth nila sa buong Pilipinas.”
More importantly, though, the tandem helped limit Jalalon and Salado all throughout the game.
High Chief Jalalon notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. However, he was just 6-for-20 from the field and committed three turnovers. Salado, on the other hand, was limited to just two points and attempted just six shots.
It was a back-and-forth game, highlighted by four lead changes and a deadlock in the third frame. Zach Nicholls gained the hot hand late in the quarter, knocking down back-to-back triples in an 8-0 rally to gain a 61-60 lead with 26 seconds remaining. Nambatac, though, was able to regain the lead with a tough lay-in that barely beat the buzzer, to enter the final frame with the lead.
Nicholls’ touch from downtown carried over to the fourth period. Two more triples by the Filipino-Canadian cut the formerly eight-point lead of Letran to just two, 71-69, with 5:45 remaining.
Needing a bucket, Jerrick Balanza and Luib helped sparked a game-breaking 16-4 rally, highlighted by two back-breaking corner triples by the latter. The run gave the defending champions an 85-73 lead with 1:45 remaining that virtually sealed the win.
“Give credit sa boys talaga. In-execute nila ang game plan namin, especially on defense so talagang lumalabas na yung tunay na Letran na nag-champion,” Napa added. “Yun ang masasabi ko lang. Yun naman ang hinahanap ko talaga.”
Three other Knights scored in double-figures. The little big man of Letran, Felix Apreku, also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.
For the Chiefs, Nicholls scored 15 markers, while Lervin Flores tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Letran Knights (3-1) will next face the San Sebastian Stags (1-2) on Tuesday, July 19 at 12:00nn. The Chiefs (2-1), on the other hand, look to forget this game as they face a tough challenge, squaring off against the Mapua Cardinals, on the same day at 4:00pm.
The Scores:
CSJL (89) – Nambatac 22, Luib 17, Balanza 12, Calvo 11, Quinto 10, Sollano 9, Apreku 5, Ambohot 2, Sario 1, Dela Pena 0.
AU (79) – Jalalon 17, Nicholls 15, Flores 10, Enriquez 9, Meca 8, Gumaru 4, Cadavis 4, Holts 3, Aguilar 3, Salado 2, Villoria 2, Canete 2, Gupilan 0.
Quarterscores: 24-21, 42-36, 62-61, 89-79
