There won’t be a sweep in the NCAA Season 98 Juniors Basketball Tournament.
Arellano University and Lyceum of the Philippines University-Cavite stopped the unbeaten runs of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Mapua University, respectively, Friday at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym.
SJ Moore and the Braves scored a stunning 75-63 rout of the Squires, while the Junior Pirates leaned on a rare triple-double courtesy of Matthew Rubico in a shocking 70-66 victory over the Red Robins.
Moore finished with a monster double-double for Arellano, finishing with 24 points and 18 rebounds with four blocks, while Rubico tallied 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
In a shocker, Arellano went off in the first half, gaining a 44-24 lead at halftime.
The Squires tried to mount a comeback, but the Braves were not about to let them win.
“Actually ang sabi ko naman sa mga players ko, keep their heads up kasi yung first four games namin we could win it eh diba. Endgame lapses lang. Sabi ko we could be 4-0, but now we’re 0-4 nga, (but) it doesn’t mean we can’t compete. Ang isinulat ko lang sa board kanina is consistency,” said Braves head coach Junjie Ablan.
“Sabi ko kailangan maging consistent tayo. Past games we have one good quarter, (then) two bad quarters, hindi pwedeng mangyari yun. If we play good ng first quarter, kailangan forty minutes tayo,” he added.
Paul Reguera also had a solid performance for the Braves with 13 points and six boards. Despite the efforts of Andy Gemao, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, and Daniel Padilla, who contributed 14 points, a steal, and an assist, the Squires were no match for the Braves.
Earlier, the Junior Pirates pulled off a surprising victory over the Red Robins, as well.
The win was largely due to the exceptional performance Rubico.
According to Junior Pirates head coach JC Docto, Rubico is not only leading the stats but should also be leading the team to victories.
“Sabi lang namin sa kanya, nagna-number one siya sa scoring, talagang dedepensahan na siya. Hindi lang naman score maitutulong niya sa team. Makakatulong siya sa assist niya, lead niya yung mga teammates niya, rebound,” said Rubico.
The Junior Pirates also had strong contributions from Cirian Mulligan, who scored 15 points with four assists and a rebound, and from Jose Torres and Ziv Espinas, who both had double-doubles of 14 and 10 points, respectively. Torres also had 12 boards and a steal, while Espinas had 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Despite the efforts of Andy Gemao, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, and Daniel Padilla, who contributed 14 points, a steal, and an assist, the Squires were no match for the Braves.
On the other hand, Mapua’s Sean Salvador, Nygel Gonzales, and Joaquin Coronel, who all scored 10 points each, were not able to avert the upset.
The results of the games mean that Arellano improved their record to 1-4, although they remained in ninth place, while Letran remained in first place with a 4-1 record.
Meanwhile, Lyceum rose to fourth place with a 3-2 record, tying with La Salle Greenhills and Perpetual, while Mapua dropped to second place with a 3-1 record.
The Scores:
Fourth Game
LPU (70) — Rubico 15, Mulligan 15, Torres 14, Zi. Espinas 10, Mointilla 9, Matienzo 4, Fuentes 3, Zy Espinas 0, Poli 0, Margase 0, Lopez 0, Mondia 0, Pariñas 0.
Mapua (66) — Salvador 15, Coronel 10, Gonzales 10, Rodriguez 8, Agemenyi 6, Valiña 5, Mulingtapang 4, Masiglat 3, Manuel 2, Morenos 2, Go 1.
Quarterscores: 14-19, 29-33, 44-44, 70-66
Fifth Game
Arellano (75) — Moore 24, Reguera 13, Panapanaan 9, Mallari 7, Jimenez 6, Javier 4, Mendoza 4, Pondoc 4, Espinosa 2, Yu 2, Nambi 0.
Letran (63) — Gemao 18, Padilla 14, Anabo 8, Manalili 6, Hugo 4, Navarro 4, Alforque 3, Cruz 3, Silorio 3, Baliling 0, Diamante 0.
Quarterscores: 22-8, 44-24, 53-43, 75-63
