Pinto, Baloria share NCAA Player of the Week honors

MANILA, Philippines – Arellano U's John Nard Pinto and Perpetual Help's Juneric Baloria are saving their best for last.

Giving it all in their last season before they turn pro, Pinto and Baloria came through with clutch plays in propelling their teams to victory and clinching the ACCEL Quantum-3XVI NCAA Press Corps Players of the Week plum.

Pinto had a crucial rebound and a key putback to lift the Chiefs to a 67-66 win over the St. Benilde Blazers last Friday while Baloria poured in 10 of 32 points in the fourth quarter to power the Altas to an 85-82 triumph over the Letran Knights Saturday.

Pinto ended up with a team-high 19 points and his Arellano U team finished with a seventh victory against two losses, or just half a game behind four-peat champion San Beda, who leads the league with a 7-1 (win-loss) record.

Pinto and Baloria bested Arellano U's American reinforcement Dioncee Holts and Jose Rizal's neophyte guard Bernabe Teodoro for the weekly plum backed by Bactigel hand sanitizer, Doctor J Mighty Alcohol and Mighty Mom Anti-bacteria.

For Pinto, he is just giving everything he got.

"This is my last year so I just want to give it all my best to help my team," said the 23-year-old Pinto, who is applying for this year's PBA rookie draft late this month, in Filipino.

Baloria, on the other hand, torched the Knights with six booming triples to finish with a league season-high output.

The Lanao del Norte native had his biggest moments late in the game when he hit a 3-pointer and completed a three-point play that pushed the Altas to within a point and made a critical steal and a putback that sealed the deal.

Baloria said he is dreaming to help the Las Pinas-based school win its first ever NCAA championship before he tries his luck with the PBA.

"I hope I can help my school win an NCAA championship. It's one of my dreams," said Baloria.