King Caralipio did not allow Wangs@26-Colegio de San Juan de Letran to suffer a monumental upset at the hands of AMA Online Education, lifting his side to an 89-84 win to remain unblemished in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup, Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Figured in a dog fight, Caralipio broke an 81-81 tie with 3:04 remaining and was followed by a Mark Sangalang bucket minutes later.
Though Earl Ceniza knocked down a big triple to cut the lead down to one, Caralipio and fellow guard Tommy Olivario punched in the daggers to lift the NCAA champions to a 2-0 slate.
“Kinausap lang namin yung players to respect our opponents,” said Letran assistant coach Rensy Bajar on what they told the Knights heading into the final frame.
Caralipio ended up with a line of 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Supporting the super senior was Paolo Javillonar, who had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Brent Paraiso, who tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Gluing things together for Letran was Olivario with 10 assists to go with seven points and five rebounds.
It was a gallant stand for Mark Herrera’s squad as they needed to claw back from 16 down and went up by as many as 10 points in the contest.
“Down the stretch, medyo masyadong malambot yung depensa namin kaya last four minutes, nag-review lang yung mga bata na kailangan naming manalo at pinakita nila yung puso nila,” said Bajar.
Ceniza paced AMA with 19 points while Mon Palana got 15 points.
Nikon Alina tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks while almost limiting Louie Sangalang while Randolf Cruz produced 13 points and nine assists. Joshua Villamor also grabbed 11 boards for the Titans.
The Scores:
Wangs-Letran 89 – Caralipio 21, Javillonar 17, Paraiso 12, Sangalang 9, Tolentino 8, Monje 8, Olivario 7, Bataller 5, Ariar 2, Guarino 0.
AMA 84 – Ceniza 19, Palana 15, R. Cruz 13, Alina 11, Yambao 9, Villamor 8, K. Cruz 7, Fuentes 2, De Vera 0, Romero 0, Temporasa 0.
Quarterscores: 26-22, 53-42, 66-72, 89-84.
