University of Perpetual Help System Dalta sizzled early, booking an 86-80 win over Mapua University in its first game in Season 100 National Collegiate Athletic Association junior basketball tournament yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Lebron Jhames Daep put on a show, dropping a monster performance of 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks to lead the Junior Altas to their first victory.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Letran College kicked off its new era under head coach Willie Miller with a 63-45 victory over Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Jhuniel Dela Rama fired 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Squires, who hired Miller as replacement for Allen Ricardo who got called up to coach the seniors squad.
But booking the win wasn’t easy for Perpetual.
After posting an 18-point lead, the Junior Altas struggled as the Red Robins tightened their defensive screws to inch closer, 84-80, with only a minute left.
Fortunately for Perpetual, Icee Callangan delivered a crucial basket to restore order and thwart the Red Robins’ bid of pulling off a shocker.
“I’m not surprised that they (Mapua) will play good because they are well-coached,” Perpetual coach Joph Cleofas said.
“We’re just a little bit slow because we’re still working our way back to shape.”
Jan Roluna backed Daep with 18 points on a solid 6-of-9 shooting on top of five rebounds, four assists and four steals while Callangan chipped in 11 points and six assists.
Former University of Santo Tomas standout Kurt Velasquez also made his presence felt, contributing seven points in just 14 minutes of play.
On the other hand, Noah Banal led the charge with 21 points while Sean Salvador added 13 for the Red Robins, who also drew significant number from Dwayne Miranda.