It felt like it was already the Play-In tournament for the matches of the NCAA Season 101 Men’s Basketball on November 12 at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Brilliance Over Pressure for both Renzo Abiera and T-Mc Ongotan
The first match featured the #3 Arellano University going up against the #4 San Sebastian College-Recoletos, both from Group A.
With both teams aiming for their 4th win, the game was definitely a close match
Arellano Chiefs trailed by 2 at halftime before unleashing a fiery third-quarter performance. The trio of T-Mc Ongotan, Renzo Abiera, and Joseph Hernal spearheaded a decisive 12-2 run early in the period that turned a 38-40 deficit into a 52-40 advantage.
Abiera later completed a three-point play to push their lead to 59-46, which was their largest of the night right before the Chiefs entered the final quarter up by 8 points, 63-55.
San Sebastian refused to go away quietly. Despite rookie standout Jhuniel Dela Rama struggling to find his offensive rhythm in the second half, veterans Christian Ricio and TJ Felebrico helped engineer a late push. Felebrico calmly sank two free throws to slice the margin to just two, 67-65, while Oneil Castor continued to provide scoring bursts for the Stags.
Castor’s triple midway through the fourth trimmed the gap to 70-68, giving the Stags renewed hope of a comeback.
But Arellano’s backcourt duo had other plans.
Abiera, who was once on the verge of being cut from the lineup before the season began, knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to restore a 73-68 cushion.
Ongotan then sealed the deal, connecting on a jumper and draining three straight free throws in the closing moments to ensure the victory.
FINAL SCORE: ARELLANO 78 – 71 SAN SEBASTIAN
Ongotan turned in one of his best outings of the season with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Abiera backed him up with 20 markers, four boards, one assist, and one steal.
Hernal added nine points and seven rebounds on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting performance, providing steady support inside.
With the victory, Arellano strengthened its hold on third place in Group A at 4-6, remaining just one game behind second-seeded Mapua.
The Chiefs will next take on the Group A-leading Perpetual Altas on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
For the Golden Stags, Castor led the charge with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Ricio contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, and one assist, while Dela Rama finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal after going scoreless in the final half.
The loss dropped San Sebastian to 3-8 in Group A, ending their brief two-game winning streak against Letran and Perpetual. The Golden Stags aim to bounce back against the LPU Pirates on Saturday in their penultimate second-round matchup.
Rookie Sean Salvador is Making The Right Plays Again for JRU
For the last game, the Jose Rizal University, which was the 4th team in Group B, played against the 5th team in their group, the Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Rookie Sean Salvador, the one who passed the ball to Ivan Panapanaan in JRU’s game-winner against Arellano last November 5, made the right plays again this time.
Both teams went toe-to-toe early, trading baskets throughout a tightly contested first half that ended deadlocked at 35-all. Salvador led JRU’s early charge with 14 points, while EAC’s main man, Kyle Ochavo, countered with 12 of his own.
The third quarter saw the Heavy Bombers briefly seize control behind the tandem of Salvador and Allan Laurenaria, who ignited a 6-0 burst that gave JRU a 45-37 lead midway through the frame.
Their defense forced multiple EAC turnovers, but the Generals kept within striking distance as Jude Bagay and Wilmar Oftana found ways to attack inside.
EAC continued to apply pressure entering the fourth period. A series of clutch baskets from Bagay, which included a three-point play that helped the Generals surge back ahead, and when Nico Quinal buried a corner triple with under two minutes left, EAC suddenly led 65-61, silencing the JRU crowd.
But the Heavy Bombers refused to fold. Laurenaria hit a tough floater off a well-timed inbound pass from Stephen Garupil, before the two switched roles as Garupil found Laurenaria at the top of the key for another triple, slicing the deficit to one, 64-65. Moments later, Laurenaria came up with a huge defensive stop, blocking Bagay’s jumper and setting up the play that would define the game.
With 37 seconds left, Salvador confidently launched a three-pointer that found the bottom of the net, reclaiming the lead at 67-65.
The rookie then calmly sank two free throws in the final seconds to ice the win after Ochavo split his foul shots on the other end.
FINAL SCORE: EAC GENERALS 66 – 69 JRU HEAVY BOMBERS
Salvador capped off his breakout game with 24 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal, including six three-pointers and five of the team’s final 10 points in their decisive 10-3 finishing run. Laurenaria provided key support with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks, while Shawn Argente added 12 markers as JRU’s balanced attack helped them complete their revenge win over EAC.
With three games remaining, the Heavy Bombers are just half a game behind St. Benilde and Letran, both tied at 6-4 for second place in Group B. JRU will look to build on its momentum when it takes on Group B leader San Beda in its next outing on Saturday, still at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Meanwhile, the loss further dented EAC’s playoff hopes, as they slipped to 4-6, the lowest record in Group B.
Ochavo led the Generals with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Oftana contributed 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block before fouling out in the final minutes. Bagay and Quinal added 11 and nine points, respectively, in a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort.
EAC aims to bounce back against Letran on Sunday at the same venue.
