Altas get back on winning track

Games today:

(Filoil EcoOil Centre)

12 p.m. — EAC vs San Sebastian

2:30 p.m. — St. Benilde vs Arellano

University of Perpetual Help System Dalta survived Jose Rizal University’s (JRU) late surge to emerge victorious, 71-65, in Season 101 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre yesterday.

Veteran forward John Abis led the Altas with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Altas, who regained their winning touch and secured their fifth victory in six games in the preliminaries of Group A.

Perpetual head coach Olsen Racela said despite suffering a 56-63 loss to Letran College that snapped their four-game winning streak, he had to make sure that his wards’ morale was high entering the crucial match against the dangerous Heavy Bombers.

“Coming into this game, we talked about bouncing back. In practice, the focus was the morale of the players to make sure they aren’t down and I think it showed today,” Racela said.

“We played a very tough JRU team, a well-coached team with the way they handled their system. It was really a tough game and it’s a good thing we came out with the win.”

The Altas needed a final push in the fourth quarter to repulse the Bombers.

Holding onto a 67-63 lead with 22.9 seconds left in the game, Shawn Argente buried a pair of free throws to cut the lead to just two points. But Perpetual refused to lose as it scored four straight points courtesy of Leobert Casinilio and two free throws from Ray Maglupay in the final stretch.

Aside from Abis, Mark Gojo Cruz also finished with double digits, scoring 11 points and four rebounds for the Altas, who are making a lot of heads turn with its red-hot shooting and airtigt defense.

Sean Salvador dropped 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists for JRU, which fell to a 3-3 slate in Group B.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Manalili posted a triple-double as Letran College survived Lyceum of the Philippines University in overtime, 95-93, in the second game.

Manalili scored 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists as the Knights improved to a 3-3 record in Group A.

Ato Barba scored 24 points and had five rebounds and three assists but it wasn’t enough as the Pirates have yet to tally a win after five games and sit at the bottom of Group B.