Altas leave Stags winless
MARK Gojo Cruz strikes during crunch time to lead Perpetual Help to an 82-75 win over San Sebastian on Friday in the NCAA Season 102 basketball tournament.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF NCAA
University of Perpetual Help System Dalta dealt San Sebastian College another defeat, 82-75, to secure a twice-to-beat incentive in the play-in of Season 102 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Altas improved to a 4-8 win-loss record with one game left before shifting their focus on the postseason.
Perpetual assistant coach Allan Albano said they did not underestimate the winless Stags.
The Stags finished the preliminaries with a 0-13 record in Group B.
“Fortunately, coach Olsen (Racela) reminded us to always play like underdogs,” Albano said.
“It was a good thing we managed to build a solid lead in the first quarter, but that’s just how basketball goes. It’s a game of runs — we had our run, and San Sebastian had theirs — but fortunately, we were able to sustain our momentum into the fourth quarter.
San Sebastian, however, gave Perpetual Help a scare in the closing minutes after cutting a 12-point deficit to four.
The Altas held a 74-62 lead late in the fourth quarter before San Sebastian unleashed a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 75-71 with 2:04 remaining.
Mark Gojo Cruz answered with an inside basket before Jim Corpuz converted both free throws to restore a 79-71 cushion with less than a minute left.
Gojo Cruz and Juan Tulabut both finished with 19 points while LA Casinillo added 14 points for the Altas.
Niel Castor led San Sebastian with 18 points, while Ralph Gabat chipped in 15.