Riding Ry Dela Rosa’s hot hand, Jose Rizal University led from the opening tip until the final buzzer, holding on against San Sebastian College-Recoletos with a 79-72 victory in the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Friday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Stags put an end to JRU’s three-game winning streak in the first round with a 59-72 defeat, and the Heavy Bombers returned the favor with a victory in the second round.
Dela Rosa, who was absent in the first round matchup against Baste, made a significant impact by scoring 19 points with six three-pointers, finally finding his rhythm in the team after just three games since his return from injury.
The sharpshooting captain of JRU also delivered the finishing blows against Baste, sinking a crucial three-pointer to halt a late run from the Stags. He then made one out of two attempts from the charity stripe to secure the win.
“I’m just happy that Ry is back, he saved the team today. Crucial na crucial yung three pointer niya, we’re only up by three but after niya maconvert yung three-pointer up six, talagang backbreaker yun,” said head coach Louie Gonzalez after the game.
Motivated to seek revenge after their tough loss in the first round, the Heavy Bombers quickly took a 12-0 lead in the first quarter, helping them lead by as much as 18, with the score at 24-6 after another one of Dela Rosa’s three-pointers.
The Heavy Bombers maintained a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter until Reymart Escobido led a last-minute rally. Escobido contributed four points and an assist during an 8-0 run for Baste before Dela Rosa extinguished the fire with a decisive play, leading JRU to victory.
Gonzalez was thrilled that his team was able to avenge their loss to Baste and bounce back from their atypical performance in the first round.
“Yung preparation kasi sa akin itong game na ito, this is the game in the first round that we didn’t play JRU basketball. Talagang natalo kami nung first round sa kanila so I told them we need to come out na ipapakita natin yung disiplina natin. Yun yung brand ng game natin eh,” Gonzalez explained.
“Sinabi ko sa kanila as long as maging consistent tayo, maging composed tayo up to the final buzzer we’ll be fine. We were composed up to the 38th minute, tapos naghabol. It’s not over til its over eh, ang ganda ng run ni Escobido doon sa totoo lang,” the president of BCAP added.
Dela Rosa was the only player in double digits for the Heavy Bombers, with Theo Pabico coming closest with nine points, shooting 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. JL Delos Santos, on the other hand, had another all-around game with seven points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
The Heavy Bombers now hold sole possession of the fourth spot in the standings, with a record of 7-4, breaking the three-way tie with College of Saint Benilde and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Up next on JRU’s schedule is a matchup with Arellano University on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Romel Calahat provided a significant boost to Baste, scoring 20 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Reggz Gabat added 12 points, while Una and Are contributed 10 points each.
With a season record of 3-8, Baste is scheduled to face San Beda University also on Sunday at 12:20 p.m.
The Scores:
JRU 79- Dela Rosa 19, Pabico 9, Sarmiento 8, Medina 8, Delos Santos 7, Argente 7, Miranda 6, Guiab 6, De Leon 4, Arenal 3, Mosqueda 2, Ramos 0, Sy 0
SSC-R 72- Calahat 20, Re. Gabat 12, Are 10, Una 10, Escobido 9, De Leon 4, Castor 3, Felebrico 2, Sumoda 2, Desoyo 0, Shanoda 0, Ra. Gabat 0
Quarterscores: 25-15, 40-29, 64-53, 79-72
