In a battle of two also-ran squads in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Colegio de San Juan de Letran gave its all in a victory over Arellano University 67-58 on Tuesday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre, San Juan.
The Knights controlled the momentum of the match for much of the game. They led by as much as 19 points until a fourth-quarter rally from Arellano gave the Letranites a scare.
Ultimately, the Knights braved through Arellano’s comeback attempt and held on to the win.
For first-year head coach Rhensy Bajar, the fourth-quarter slip-ups were all too familiar for Letran’s side. He was therefore happy to see the Knights fight back against the comeback and come out on top for once.
“Yes, yun pa rin yung babalikan namin, how to finish strong. Kumbaga yun yung story namin for this season eh, kung titingnan niyo yung standings, it’s not the losses and wins namin but kung paano kami natalo,” explained Bajar.
“Kadalasan we’re leading in the fourth quarter tapos all of a sudden biglang bababa kami. It’s a positive thing na nangyari ito at the same time nanalo kami.”
Letran got out to a hot start in the first quarter, outscoring Arellano 25-15 in the opening 10 minutes.
But Arellano responded in the second frame with a 15-1 run to bring them within a single possession, 31-30 after a mid-range jay from Danielle Mallari with 4:29 to go in the half.
The Knights would shoulder the run well though as they ended the half with an eight-point lead, 40-32.
It was a similar story in the second half as Letran took a double-digit lead in the third. It jumped out to its biggest margin in the fourth, 64-45 after a four-point play from Deo Cuajao with 8:06 left in the game.
After Cuajao’s free throw though, the Knights got hit by a 13-1 run from Arellano. The Chiefs cut the lead to just seven, 65-58 after a pair of free throws from Ernest Geronimo with 1:08 on the clock.
A Kevin Santos layup later ended the run and sealed the game for Letran as it came away with the 67-58 victory.
“Siyempre masaya kami kasi for the past ilang games halos sa atin na yung game eh pero pagdating sa dulo bumibigay kami, so I’m very happy for my players. Talagang I give credit to them, nagstay sila doon sa game at tinapos nila na panalo kami. Yun ang instruction ko sa kanila, start strong tayo na may energy, tapos tapusin natin na tayo naman ang panalo,” shared Bajar after the game.
Kobe Monje was the lone scorer in double-digits for Letran as he dropped a game-high 13 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Jay Garupil was the next closest with nine points and eight boards.
Meanwhile, Kevin Santos neared a double-double as well with seven points and eight rebounds.
Letran also missed the services of Kurt Reyson, Andrey Guarino, and Nicko Fajardo due to injuries.
The Knights put a stop to their seven-game skid going all the way back to the end of the first round, earning their second win of the season.
They went up to a 2-15 record ahead of the match-up against College of Saint Benilde on Sunday at 2:00 PM, in another Season 98 Finals rematch.
Arellano’s entire squad struggled to put points on the board as no Chief ended the game with a double-digit scoring outing.
Joshua Abastillas and Lars Sunga were the two closest with nine points apiece. Meanwhile, Danielle Mallari added seven points and seven boards to go along with three assists.
The Chiefs went down to 2-13 for the season. They are scheduled to battle against Mapua University on Friday at 3:30 PM.
The Scores:
Letran 67- Monje 13, Garupil 9, Cuajao 8, Batallier 8, Santos 7, Go 6, Jumao-as 6, Bojorcelo 5, Javillonar 5, Ariar 0
Arellano 58- Abastillas 9, Sunga 9, Mallari 7, Talampas 6, Capulong 5, Yanes 5, Tan 5, Villarente 4, Geronimo 4, Dayrit 2, Dela Cruz 2, Camay 0, Angolan 0, Rosalin 0
Quarterscores: 25-15, 40-32, 56-42, 67-58
