Games Thursday
4 p.m. – Perpetual Help vs Arellano U
6 p.m. – St. Benilde vs San Sebastian
MANILA, Philippines - Jose Rizal U weathered a furious Emilio Aguinaldo fightback in a wild endgame as it pulled off an 85-79 victory to move up to solo fourth in the 89th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.
Philip Paniamogan and Michael Mabulac stepped up in the fourth as the Bombers raced away to a 14-point bulge that served as cushion to their faltering finish and the Generals’ late comeback.
Paniamogan and Mabulac poured in seven and five points in key JRU runs in the final period to finish with 23 and 16 points, respectively as the Kalentong-based school broke away from a four-way logjam at No. 4 with San Sebastian, Arellano U and Lyceum with a 3-2 (win-loss) card.
In the other game, reigning three-peat titlist San Beda overpowered Mapua, 78-53, in a bruising contest to gain solo second with a 4-1 slate, half a game behind unbeaten Letran (4-0).
Baser Amer had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Nigerian teammate Ola Adeogun, who turned 22 yesterday, added seven markers.
After the game, San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez accused Mapua mentor Atoy Co of allowing his players to hurt his wards.
“I have high respect for coach Atoy (Co), but with this game, I don’t know,†said Fernandez. “Yes basketball is always physical but in this game, they’re just too rough. The players will not do that if there’s no go-signal to do it, they ‘re trying to hurt my players, I feel sorry for my players,†he added.
The Cardinals slid to 1-4.
Jose Rizal coach Vergel Meneses, however, rued his team’s tendency to blow leads late in the game.
“We have to learn how to protect leads. Good thing we we’re able to hang tough enough in the end to preserve the win,†said Meneses, whose wards also squandered double-digit leads against St. Benilde before escaping with a 73-71 overtime win last week.
With Paniamogan hitting his mark from the outside and Mabulac forcing his way inside, the Bombers unleashed a 20-10 run to turn a slim four-point lead to a 83-69 advantage with three and a half minutes remaining.