Fourth quarter run leads Red Lions’ stampede past Altas
UE guard Roi Sumang attempts a behind-the-back pass on De La Salle forward Jason Perkins in their 2013 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season match on Saturday. (FCF / Vyn Radovan)
Having beaten another top team in UAAP Season 75 finalist and 2012 National champions University of Santo Tomas, University of the East is on another headhunt
This time, the Red Warriors caught another big fish in the form of De La Salle University and snapped the Archers’ five-game unbeaten streak via a 60-53 squeaker in Saturday’s 2013 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup three-game men’s hoops bill at The Arena in San Juan City.
Roi Sumang, who connected on two consecutive clutch baskets late in the contest to extend their slim one point lead to five with 18 seconds left, tallied 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Charles Mammie overcame the shade of La Salle trees with a rousing second half, scoring 9 of his 13 points in that stretch to go along with his 9 rebounds in the contest.
“We’ve been doing the extremes. Sobrang ganda ng laro, sobrang sama ng laro. Walang consistency,” noted returning UE mentor Boysie Zamar. “We have to remember (that) La Salle is La Salle. 5-0 is 5-0. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
UE finishes the elimination round with a 6-2 card, good enough for a third place finish entering the quarterfinals.
The Green and White five, who scores 15.6 fastbreak points per contest in their five wins, were held scoreless in the entire match. Also, the squad wasted away 28 possessions in the match and missed 10 of their 16 free throws.
Fil-Canadian center Norbert Torres was the only Green Archer in double figures with 12 points.
(FCF / Brianna Obach)
Meanwhile, a late game run opened the floodgates for San Beda College to claim an 82-75 victory over NCAA Season 88 Final Four foe University of Perpetual Help System Dalta.
Owing their victory to a 12-3 run in the last 3:19 of the contest sparked by a Francis Abarcar trey, followed by an Ola Adeogun slam dunk in transition, the Red Lions bounced back from a stinging one-point loss to Arellano University in their previous match.
Abarcar, the second-year guard from SBC’s juniors program, compiled a season-best 22 points. Backcourt partner Baser Amer nearly completed a rare triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Adeogun rounds out the scoring leaders with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Altas, decimated by injuries and departures of several key players, welcomed back Earl Thompson in the lineup but saw only four minutes of action in the first half.
Nick Omorogbe tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Super rookie Juneric Baloria topped all Altas scorers with 22 points and 6 rebounds.
Arellano University, who opened the game on a 25-5 rally in the first period, blitzed past Jose Rizal University in the day’s opening match, 83-67.
Led by the sophomore backcourt tandem of James Forrester and John Pinto, the Chiefs finish the elimination round with a 6-2 card to finish in third place behind San Beda.
Forrester finished with 21 points, while Pinto added 16 points and dished off 7 assists.
