Embroiled in an off-court issue, the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas still showed composure, blasting the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags, 85-77, Thursday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“San Sebastian is a tough team to beat, may materyales,” said first-year Perpetual head coach Frankie Lim.
This is Perpetual’s fifth straight win to go up to 10-5, just half-a-game behind third-running Letran Knights. San Sebastian, on the other hand, fell to 4-11.
“Sabi ko nga kanina, malakas yung San Sebastian, they have the materials to win games. We were just lucky to come back from five points down in the last minute. Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than to be good,” quipped Lim.
Down by five points with 1:10 left in regulation, the Altas did not give up. They had a breakaway layup by Jielo Razon, then a Prince Eze block seconds later led to an and-one play for Edgar Charcos with 40.4 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
And when the game went into added time, it was all Perpetual. A triple by AJ Coronel sparked a 12-2 run for the Altas. Another triple by Rey Peralta and baskets from Charcos, Eze, and Coronel all contributed to the game-breaking run.
“It shows a lot of character from my players. It all boils down to proper execution of our plays and looking for Prince. Charcos made a much-needed three-point play,” beamed Lim.
Eze finished with another monster double-double with 25 points and 23 rebounds, to go along with four blocks.
Coronel had 15 points and six boards, while Razon added 13 points and nine rebounds.
Frustration in the San Sebastian bench boiled up late. With 39.7 seconds left, JM Calma elbowed Eze that resulted in an unsportsmanlike foul. Questioning the call, Egay Macaraya lambasted the game official and was ejected. He will be suspended for the next game.
The players involved in the issue in question – Edgar Charcos, Kim Aurin, and Rey Peralta – also had a hand in the victory, with Charcos tallying 12 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Alvin Capobres paced San Sebastian with 18 points while RK Ilagan and Allyn Bulanadi had 16 points each. Bulanadi grabbed 11 rebounds as well.
Perpetual will next face the EAC Generals, while the San Sebastian Stags take on the Letran Knights, both on Tuesday, October 9.
The Scores:
UPHSD 85 – Eze 25, Coronel 15, Razon 13, Charcos 12, Aurin 9, Peralta 9, Mangalino 2, Cuevas 0
SSC-R 77 – Capobres 18, Ilagan 16, Bulanadi 16, Calisaan 8, Valdez 8, Calma 4, Baytan 3, Sumoda 2, Villapando 2, Dela Cruz 0, Desoyo 0, Isidro 0, Are 0, Arciaga 0
Quarterscores: 17-9, 30-21, 49-43, 69-69, 85-77
