Martin San Diego | FCF
Playing handicapped, San Sebastian College relied on teenage slasher CJ Perez to solidify its hold for fourth place, whipping Lyceum of the Philippines University, 58-53, in Thursday’s NCAA seniors hoops action at The Arena in San Juan City.
Perez scored 13 points in the first quarter, including a runaway slam dunk off a pocket pass by Raffy Gusi to end the opener with a 12-0 run for a 23-12 start.
He then scored seven straight points in the midst of an 11-0 run midway in the second quarter to up the lead by 20, 36-16, before giving up four points to the Pirates in the last minute of the first half.
Unfazed, the Pirates applied choking full-court pressure defense against the Stags, opening the second half with a 9-0 run and limiting the Stags to only two field goals in the third quarter.
As such, they inched close to the Stags, 37-39, but the Stags likewise applied full-court pressure to end the third quarter with a 6-0 run, ending it at 45-37.
Sparked by Perez’s quick trey to start the fourth quarter, the Stags upped its lead to double digits once more
However, dry shooting and consecutive turnovers allowed the Pirates to inch closer in the last minute, 53-55, through a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by senior point guard Shane Ko.
With 25 seconds left, the Pirates quickly fouled Jon Rebollos, who made his first free shot and missed the second as the Stags were up by one possession, 56-53.
Center Mark Tano, who started his third consecutive game, grabbed the offensive board off the miss but Ko gutsily forced a jumpball which he won for the Pirates.
With 20 seconds left, the Pirates tried but failed to tie the game as Aziz Mbomiko missed the first three-point attempt while Tirso Lesmoras lost the ball in the second attempt. Gio Vergara then sank a fastbreak layup at the buzzer to seal the game for the Stags, who are now at eight wins and five losses.
The Stags, despite committing 30 turnovers, were still saved by limiting the Pirates with a paltry 3-of-29 three-point shooting and with Perez’s career-high scoring of 28 points. He also added 11 boards and two blocks
“We just have to sustain and match our energy with Lyceum yun ang naging key namin this game,” said head coach Topex Robinson after the game.
“It’s not all about CJ Perez but the players around him, they make him look good,” he continued, as he was compelled to maximize the playing time of his bench players.
Prior to the game, the Stags lost starting center Bradwyn Guinto due to typhoid fever; leading scorer Jamil Ortuoste due to fever; and swingman Leo de Vera due to suspension.
The Pirates, still tied at eighth and ninth place with Arellano University, are at 4-9. Dexter Zamora led them with 12 points, which were all scored in the second half; Ko with 11 points; and Mbomiko with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six steals.
Martin San Diego | FCF
In the second game, San Beda College routed a luckless Benilde five to register their fourth straight win, 65-46.
Benilde, who registered an ice-cold 0-for-14 shooting from the field in the first quarter, went down 25-2 to the three-time defending seniors basketball champions after the initial 10 minutes.
They finally got their first basket on Robert Bartolo’s short stab with 7:23 left in the second period, but the Red Lions were already way ahead for them to make a comeback later in the game.
Arthur de la Cruz scored 14 points with seven rebounds to lead the well-balanced scoring list in the Red Lions’ romp.
Leading the way for the Blazers was Mark Romero with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Paolo Taha registered 10 in their biggest loss this season. (With reports from Diego de la Paz)
