Jose Rizal University bounced back after a frustrating loss against College of Saint Benilde by venting its ire on Colegio de San Juan de Letran, as the Heavy Bombers bested the also-ran Knights, 79-74, in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Heavy Bombers held a double-digit lead in the last few minutes of the match, but they nearly let the game slip from their hands as the Knights went on a late rally. Ultimately, JRU held onto the win with enough crunch-time free throws as the buzzer sounded.
Assistant coach Alex Callueng, who stepped in as the head coach as Louie Gonzalez needed to serve a one-game suspension for his double technical fouls in the Benilde matchup, shared that their star playmaker JL Delos Santos and his experience in other leagues outside of the NCAA became an important factor in helping JRU compose itself amidst Letran’s rally.
“I guess yung karamihan ng mga naglalaro ngayon sa NCAA, most of them they’re playing in other teams and other tournaments,” explained Callueng.
“That really helps them to slow their game down, think more even if the game is really fast-paced, it gave them more experience on how to really manage time, manage the clock, especially in the last minutes of the game. Naging maganda lang siguro sa kanila, especially with JL delos santos; he really can manage the clock, both on offense and defense,” he continued.
The Heavy Bombers only managed to pull away from the Knights in the middle of the final quarter as a 7-0 run saw them grab their biggest lead of the afternoon, going up 74-61 after a pair of free throws from Delos Santos with only 2:14 left on the clock.
In those final two minutes, though, the Knights responded with a 13-3 run that brought the match within a single possession, 77-74 after a triple from Deo Cuajao with 21 seconds remaining.
As the Knights fouled to stall for time, both Patrick Ramos and JL Delos Santos knocked down one of their two free throws each to get their team to safety as they left Letran with too little time on the clock to overcome the 79-74 win.
“This was really important kasi placing na eh. So, kung natalo kami ngayon medyo mahihirapan kami. Hindi ko sinasabing madali along the road kasi mahirap din makakalaban sa susunod na games. We’re just thankful na the boys played well today,” said Callueng.
JL Delos Santos gave a much-needed boost offensively for the Heavy Bombers. Known more as a facilitator, Delos Santos flexed his scoring chops as he dropped 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 at the line.
Agem Miranda bounced back from an inefficient outing against Benilde with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting against Letran. Guiab then added 12 points of his own.
The Heavy Bombers shot up to a 9-6 record, but they remained on the outside looking in for one of the top 4 spots in the standings, maintaining their spot at fifth. They look to hold their advantage against sixth place Emilio Aguinaldo College on Tuesday, 4:00 p.m.
Kobe Monje finished with a game-high 18 points and five rebounds. Deo Cuajao chipped in with 16 points off of four triples, while Paolo Javillonar had 10 points and three rebounds.
Jay Garupil did a fantastic job stepping in as the starting point guard with both Nicko Fajardo and Kurt Reyson out with injuries. Garupil flirted with a double-double of nine points and 11 assists while only committing just one turnover.
Letran’s downfall continued as it dropped its seventh straight game since the end of the first round, falling to a 1-14 record. The Knights are set to play Arellano University—who is also eliminated from Final Four contention— on Tuesday, 2:00 p.m.
The Scores:
JRU 79- Miranda 17, Delos Santos 14, Guiab 12, Argente 8, Ramos 6, Dionisio 6, Medina 5, De Leon 4, Dela Rosa 3, Sarmiento 2, Mosqueda 2, Arenal 0, Pabico 0, Sy 0
Letran 74- Monje 18, Cuajao 16, Javillonar 10, Garupil 9, Santos 9, Ariar 4, Bautista 4, Battallier 2, Go 2, Bojorcelo 0
Quarterscores: 20-22, 44-39, 60-51, 79-74
