Heavy Bombers slip past Chiefs

Jose Rizal University (JRU) got past Arellano University, 64-62, for back-to-back wins in Season 102 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Lawrence Mangubat nearly posted a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds as the Heavy Bombers improved to 4-1 in Group A.

Trailing 58-62 with 19 seconds left, Mangubat drilled a booming triple to cut Arellano’s lead to one.

Sean Salvador and Chris Hubilla then combined for three of four free throws to keep JRU ahead by two with four seconds remaining.

Rhenz Abiera appeared to force overtime with a putback off Basti Valencia’s miss, but the basket came after the final buzzer.

JRU dominated the boards with 53 rebounds and turned its physicality into 24 points inside the paint and 15 second-chance points.

Hubilla also finished with 14 points, while Jalen Garcia chipped in seven.

Valencia erupted for 23 points in a losing effort as the Chiefs slipped to 4-2 in Group B.