The Heavy Bombers suffered their worst setback at the worst possible time of the season.
The University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA Altas battled back from a seven-point deficit in the last minute of regulation to overcome the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers in double overtime, 89-80, to gain a tie at second place in the standings, Friday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The hard-fought win means Perpetual now tie with San Beda in the standings with an 11-4 slate, while JRU fall a full game behind Mapua with a 9-7 tally.
“It’s a great win for us. Coming from a loss, nabawasan na yung sakit sa dibdib,” said first year Perpetual head coach Jimwell Gican. “Ang sama ng pagkatalo namin against Letran.”
The cagers from Las Pinas relied on the late-game heroics of Bright Akhuetie and Daryl Singontiko. Akhuetie finished the game with a monstrous double-double with 28 points, seven coming from the second overtime, and 18 rebounds. Singontiko, on the other hand, scored all 13 of hits points in the last 20 minutes of the game.
“Gusto ko purihin ang mga players. They did their job and they didn’t give up,” Gican added. “Nandun pa rin yung puso na gusto nilang manalo.”
JRU almost had the game in the bag, holding a 64-57 lead with 1:25 seconds remaining in the game. However, back-to-back unforced turnovers by Tey Teodoro and Paolo Pontejos led to a 7-0 Perpetual blast capped by a GJ Ylagan triple, his lone three-pointer of the game, with 23.5 ticks remaining to send the game into an extra five minutes.
Again, the Heavy Bombers were at an advantage in the closing seconds of the first overtime. With the game tied at 72-all with 33 seconds remaining, Teodoro, just as he has done all season long, was able to vanquish Akhuetie and AJ Coronel with a sidestep, knocking down a tough floater to go up 74-72 with 27 seconds remaining.
However, the Nigerian student-athlete, with no timeouts remaining for the Altas, powered his way to the paint for the game-tying basket with eight seconds remaining. Teodoro tried to traverse the length of the court for a fadeaway triple but sorely missed to send the game into another overtime.
With Abdoul Poutouochi fouling out early in the first overtime, the 19-year-old Akhuetie scored three straight points to put the Altas up 79-76 with 2:31 left. Moreover, the loss of JRU’s big man led to a rebounding struggle for the Heavy Bombers, as they failed to secure two Perpetual misses that led to a Singontiko triple for a six-point edge.
A basket by Grospe gave the Vergel Meneses’ squad hope, but costly turnovers by Pontejos and Teodoro halted any comeback they were attempting.
Teodoro bucked a slow start, finishing the game with 23 points but was just 3-of-14 from downtown. MJ Dela Virgen and Jordan dela Paz added 13 and 11 points respectively.
The Perpetual Altas (T-2nd, 11-4) next face the Lyceum Pirates on Tuesday, September 13, at 12:00nn. The JRU Heavy Bombers (5th, 9-7) cannot afford to lose any more games, starting Tuesday against the Arellano Chiefs.
The Scores:
UPHSD (89) – Akhuetie 28, Dagangon 15, Singontiko 13, Ilagan 10, Coronel 9, Pido 6,Sadiwa 4, Eze 4, Gallardo 0, Dizon 0.
JRU (80) – Teodoro 23, Grospe 15, Dela Virgen 13, Dela Paz 11, Abdulrazak 6, Pontejos 5, Cruz 4, Mendoza 3, Poutouochi 2, Lasquety 0, Astilla 0.
Quarterscores: 14-11, 27-28, 43-43, 64-64, 74-74, 89-80.
