Basti Valencia made sure to prove that despite their struggles in the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament crossover round, the Arellano Chiefs are no fluke.
Valencia nailed the go-ahead basket to avert a late collapse, lifting Arellano to a stunning 56-55 victory over defending champion San Beda Red Lions on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
With 11.7 seconds remaining, the 6-foot-2 guard posted up Penny Estacio before sinking a fadeaway jumper to give the Chiefs the lead. On the ensuing possession, Aldous Torculas missed his attempt, allowing Arellano to complete the upset.
Valencia finished with seven points on 12 attempts and seven rebounds as the Chiefs snapped a three-game skid to improve to 5-3 in Group B, moving half a game ahead of the idle Letran Knights.
“Andyan naman si ‘Robin.’ Eksakto, first option ko si ‘Robin,’ and nag-deliver naman,” said Arellano head coach Chico Manabat, referring to Valencia as T-Mc Ongotan’s Batman.
Arellano Holds On After Red Lions Rally
Arellano built a 15-point advantage, 40-25, before the Red Lions mounted a comeback. In the final frame, Daniel Marcelo, Torculas, and RC Calimag spearheaded San Beda’s rally to put the defending champions back in contention.
Torculas drained a three-pointer with a little over three minutes remaining to give San Beda a 55-53 lead. Aaron Manansala split his free throws moments later to trim the deficit to one, setting the stage for Valencia’s decisive basket.
“Sinabi ko lang sa mga bata to just believe para ma-break namin yung 0-3 namin sa crossover,” said Manabat.
Ongotan led the Chiefs with 17 points on 17 attempts and 8 rebounds.
San Beda, on the other hand, saw its three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 5-3 in Group A, one and a half games behind leaders JRU Heavy Bombers and Benilde Blazers. Torculas and Marcelo were the only double-digit scorers for the Red Lions, finishing with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Torculas also posted 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.
Next Up for the NCAA
San Beda will look to bounce back from this stunning loss when they return to the court on Monday, October 19, against the EAC Generals. Arello will get a longer break and be back in action only next Thursday, October 22, when they take on the Lyceum Pirates. Both games will take place at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San juan.
