King Caralipio and Brent Paraiso led the second half turnaround for Colegio de San Juan de Letran, taking a 65-53 win over struggling Arellano University in the NCAA Season 98 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Friday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Knights extended their run to five games, rising to 8-3 while dropping the Chiefs to 4-6.
And Letran needed to fend off the challenge by Arellano late.
With 1:43 left in the game, Cade Flores knocked down a tough layup to bring the Chiefs to within two, 53-55.
Unfortunately for them, that was the last as Caralipio sparked, while Paraiso capped the 10-0 run to end the game for the Knights.
“Gusto lang namin talaga maka bounceback sa first loss namin during the first round against AU,” said Letran head coach Bonnie Tan.
Before that, Arellano was actually holding a comfortable lead to end the first half, 33-26, that grew by as much as nine, 37-28 following a Flores layup right in the middle of the third period.
Letran, however, slowly but surely clawed back to the picture and took the lead after a Fran Yu triple, 39-37 before entering the two-minute mark. They ended the third period with a 15-2 run to get the 43-39 advantage entering the payoff period.
Caralipio led the Knights with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Fran Yu had a well-rounded 12 markers, six boards, five dimes, and two assists; while Paraiso contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
For the Chiefs, Flores was the only one in double-figures with 15 points together with 12 rebounds and five assists.
Both teams return to action on Sunday. Letran will face San Sebastian College-Recoletos (3-5) at 3 PM, while Arellano will take on Jose Rizal University (5-2) at 12 NN.
The Scores:
Letran 65 — Caralipio 13, Yu 12, Paraiso 10, Reyson 8, Javillonar 7, Sangalang 6, Santos 4, Monje 2, Olivario 2, Ariar 1, Tolentino 0, Go 0, Guarino 0.
Arellano 53 — Flores 15, Abastillas 8, Mallari 7, Doromal 6, Menina 5, Oliva 4, Oftana 3, Mantua 3, Sunga 2, Tolentino 0, Talampas 0.
Quarterscores: 14-15, 26-33, 43-39, 65-53.
