Manila, Philippines - Rookie John Pinto took charge in the fourth quarter as Arellano U pulled off a shock 63-54 victory over Perpetual Help in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.
The 21-year-old Pinto, a transferee from Holy Cross-Davao, poured in seven of his 15 points in the last period as the Chiefs broke away from a tight contest to wheel back into contention with a 3-5 slate.
The diminutive Pinto also outplayed and beat the taller Altas off the boards, finishing with a game-high 13 rebounds and six assists.
“John Pinto opened the door for us with his clutch performance,” said Arellano U coach Koy Banal.
In the nightcap, Josan Nimes scored 15 points and came with seven rebounds and five assists as Mapua surprised San Sebastian, 61-54, to cap a day of reversals.
The Cardinals thus improved to 3-5 while snapping the Stags’ six-game run for a 6-2 card.
The Chiefs also clamped down on defense to complement their fluid offensive game, holding the Altas to just 10 points in the fourth and dealing the Las Piñas-based squad its third loss against six wins.
“As a defensive coach at B-Meg, it was but fitting that I teach these guys defense and I think it’s about time to remind them that defense not just wins games, but also championships,” said Banal.
“It feels good to coach and win after what happened last night (Sunday),” added Banal, referring to B-Meg’s loss to Rain or Shine in Game Seven of the PBA Governors Cup finals where he is one of Tim Cone’s assistant coaches.
The Altas, who made an impressive start of 6-2, actually waxed hot early, scoring 12 unanswered points behind skipper Jett Vidal.
But the Chiefs clawed their way back in the second period and even took slim leads at the end of the middle quarters.
Then Pinto took charge.
Perpetual Help drew a double-double effort from Ariyo Babayemi – 13 points and 10 rebounds – but the Nigerian failed to draw help from the rest of the Altas when he needed it most.
Vidal came up with 13 points but was limited to just two points in the third period and scoreless in the last quarter.
Earlier, San Sebastian trounced Mapua, 67-54, to post its eighth straight victory while St. Benilde routed EAC, and Arellano U downed Perpetual Help, 72-65.