Two unbeaten teams walked into the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Monday. Only one walked out that way. The Arellano Chiefs edged the Letran Knights, 82-81, to close the first round of group play with a perfect 4-0 record, claiming the top spot in Group B while handing Letran its first loss of the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament to drop to 3-1 heading into the crossover round.
Arellano trailed by six at halftime before flipping the game entirely in the third quarter, feeding off offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and outscoring Letran 26-15 to grab a 68-63 lead heading into the fourth. The Chiefs seemed to be pulling away until a costly setback with six minutes remaining, when Basti Valencia was disqualified for an unsportsmanlike foul on a three-point attempt that involved excessive contact with Kevin Santos.
Letran Builds Momentum
Letran made the ejection count. Chad Gammad answered with four straight points, a free throw followed by a three, to put the Knights back ahead, 76-73. Arellano refused to fold, though, firing back with an 8-0 run capped by a Karl Flores triple to reclaim the lead at 81-76 with more than three minutes to go. Gammad and Justin Cargo kept Letran’s hopes alive down the stretch, and the Knights had two separate looks to steal the game in the final seconds, but shots from Gammad and Denzil Walker both rimmed out as Arellano held on.
“Siguro ‘yong good luck nasa amin talaga. Maraming mga struggles kanina and mga attempts namin, ‘di pumasok, but luckily, ‘yong pinaka-huling segundo, doon kami naka-advance,” said Arellano coach Chico Manabat. “‘Yong rebounding, ‘yong breaks na naka-steal kami; ‘yon ‘yong storya.”
T-Mc Ongotan Leads Arellano’s Rally
T-Mc Ongotan was the driving force behind the win, posting a career-high 29 points to go with 12 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. “Tinatrabaho ko lang naman ‘yong puwede kong matulong sa court, lalo na medyo mahigpit na ‘yong bantay sa akin, and kapag hinahawakan ko ‘yong bola, ‘di talaga ako makabuwelo,” Ongotan said. “Tinrabaho ko lang ‘yong puwede kong gawin kahit wala sa akin ‘yong bola and nag-effort lang ako.” Flores added 10 points and five rebounds in support.
Gammad matched his own career best for Letran with 23 points on six made threes, while Cargo added 20 points, four rebounds, and two steals. The Knights were without Titing Manalili for the game, still recovering from a right wrist sprain suffered in their previous outing against the EAC Generals last Thursday.
Both teams open their crossover-round campaigns next week. Letran faces San Beda in a rematch of last year’s finals on Monday, October 5, at 5:00 p.m., while Arellano takes on Mapua on Thursday, October 1, at 3:00 p.m.
