Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
11 a.m. — Perpetual vs San Beda
2:30 p.m. — Letran vs Lyceum
Arellano University claimed another giant scalp when it pulled off an earthshaking 73-71 win over powerhouse College of Saint Benilde in Season 100 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Jeadan Ongoton spearheaded the assault, powering the Chies to their first victory over the Blazers since 2019 when Kent Salado and Justin Arana connived for a 75-69 triumph in the second round of Season 95.
Meanwhile, Jose Rizal University (JRU) hammered Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), 75-63, in the second game.
Joshua Guiab had a double-double game with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Heavy Bombers, who picked up their third win in eight games for seventh place.
Robin Bernardo and Shawn Argente also exploded off the bench, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Arellano coach Chico Manabat revealed that they didn’t do anything special other than a thorough preparation and a lot of grit and confidence down the stretch.
“There’s no secret to it. We just have fighting hearts and prepared well,” said Manabat, who also orchestrated the squad’s 72-70 win over defending champion San Beda University last Saturday.
“They (Blazers) are confident they will be able to win but we were determined to win the game. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain.”
Ongoton fired 16 points while Ernest Geronimo tallied 14 markers, including a crucial jumper in the final 29.6 seconds mark that capped a 7-2 run that gave the Chiefs a 73-69 lead.
Jhomel Ancheta tried to pump life to the Blazers after sinking a floater with 25.2 seconds left for a 71-73, but they failed to sustain the momentum as Justin Sanchez’s potential game-tying jumper clanked as time expired.
Renzo Abeira added 10 points for Arellano, which wrapped up the first round on a high note with three wins in nine games.
Blazers coach Charles Tiu, who had been ripping his boys’ sour performance in their past few games, didn’t give a statement but his assistant, TY Tang, stressed that they need to stay hungry and composed to avoid getting upset.
“We have to continue on things we can improve on and we’re hoping we can sustain the position we are in,” Tang said.
“We have to pay attention and respect to our opponents. On any given day, teams can beat you here in the NCAA.”
Allen Liwag fired 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Blazers, who started the season like hungry wolves with a winning margin of 16.7 points in their first four games but lost steam in their last few matches, including a 69-71 setback to Letran last week.
With that, the Blazers fell to 6-2 to share the lead with idle Mapua University.
The scores:
First game
ARELLANO (73) — Ongotan 16, Geronimo 14 Abiera 10, Capulong 8, Valencia 8, Vinoya 7, Hernal 5, Libang 4, Borromeo 1, Dela Cruz 0, Camay 0.
SAINT BENILDE (71) — Liwag 18, Cometa 15, Sanchez 10, Torres 9, Oli 7, Ondoa 3, Morales 3, Ancheta 2, Cajucom 2, Turco 2, Sangco 0, Eusebio 0.
QUARTERS: 23-11, 40-39, 56-58, 73-71.
Second game
JRU (75) — Guiab 19, Bernardo 13, Argente 12, Raymundo 8, Benitez 8, De Leon 5, Garcia 5, Ferrer 3, Barrera 2, Samontanes 0, Pangilinan 0, Panapanaan 0, Mosqueda 0, Sarmiento 0, De Jesus 0.
EAC (63) — Gurtiza 15, Bagay 12, Oftana 7, Lucero 6, Pagsanjan 5, Doromal 4, Luciano 4, Ochavo 4, Quinal 4, Loristo 0, Jacob 0, Umpad 0, Postanes 0, Manacho 0, Angeles 0.
QUARTERS: 16-15, 36-32, 50-49, 75-63.