Season-host Jose Rizal University stretched its winning streak in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Touranment, emerging victorious over University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 71-65, at the Filoil Ecooil Centre on Saturday.
The Heavy Bombers are now on a three-game winning streak since their lone loss against College of Saint Benilde. It bravely defeated Emilio Aguinaldo College and Mapua University in its last two matchups to claim a 4-1 standing for second place.
The Heavy Bombers’ sharpshooting rookie, Shawn Argente, caught fire in the match, scoring a team-high 17 points with five triples.
The Bombers led by as much as 16 points, 38-22, after a layup from Jonathan Medina with 5:01 left in the second quarter. However, the Altas quickly rallied and ended the quarter on a 13-2 run, bringing the game within single digits before halftime, 35-40.
With JRU leading by five in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, it gave Perpetual chances to complete an upset. Argante and JL Delos Santos missed two pairs of free throws that could have sealed the game.
Perpetual could not capitalize, though, as Christian Pagaran and Carlos Ferreras missed much-needed three-pointers. This was followed by an unsportsmanlike foul from Ferreras that put the match out of reach, ending with a score of 71-65.
“For today, it’s a character game for us. Especially yung composure ng players ko knowing medyo off night si Agem. pPro what happened, maganda nakita ko was instead na hanapin namin yung puntos ni agem, nagstick kami sa paglaro sa bawat isa,” said coach Louie Gonzalez.
Joshua Guiab added 12 points, while Marwin Dionisio came close to a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds for the Heavy Bombers.
Notably, JRU’s leading scorer, Agem Miranda, struggled against the Altas, managing only six points in just 15 minutes of play.
The Heavy Bombers have hopes of increasing their streak to four after their clash with San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.
Perpetual was led by Marcus Nitura with 19 points, followed by 14 from Jelo Razon. Pagaran and Art Roque had 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Only two other Altas players scored outside of their top four, with Ferreras and JP Boral combining for nine points.
The Altas dropped to a 1-3 record for the season, tying with Benilde at eighth place in the standings.
Their next battle is against the College of Saint Benilde, scheduled for Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
The Scores:
JRU 71 – Argente 17, Guiab 12, Dionisio 8, Medina 8, Sarmiento 7, De Leon 6, Miranda 6, Delos Santos 5, Pabico 2, Ramos 0, Arenal 0, Sy 0, Mosqueda 0, Barrera 0
UPHSD 65 – Nitura 19, Razon 14, Pagaran 12, Roque 11, Ferreras 8, Boral 1, Omega 0, Barcuma 0, Orgo 0, Gelsano 0, Abis 0, Cuevas 0
Quarterscores: 20-14, 40-35, 52-49, 71-65
