23 July 2019
By Maxine Louise Lagman
MANILA, Philippines – Jose Rizal University pulls off another impressive win, defeating University of Perpetual Help, 71-66, in the NCAA Season 95 men’s basketball tournament, Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
With the win, the Heavy Bombers improved to a 2-3 win-loss record, while the Altas dropped to their third consecutive loss in the season for a 1-3 slate.
“Entering this game, we are more relaxed, but I made sure na hindi kami mawawala sa focus at direksyon na gusto namin,” JRU coach Louie Gonzales said, noting that they had gained confidence following their win against Arellano University last week.
JRU was on a comfortable 41-28 cushion in the first half, until Edgar Charcos and Kim Aurin led Perpetual in a vicious attack come third quarter, closing in the gap within four, 56-52.
Technical difficulties occurred involving the shot clock that left the game paused for nearly 10 minutes. The Heavy Bombers took that time to strategize their next game play and it showed once the match resumed as they played more effectively in terms of both defense and offense.
Ry dela Rosa dropped to three-pointers and led JRU’s 13-2 run to stretch the lead to a 69-55 advantage in the fourth quarter. Aurin answered back for the Altas, scoring seven points during an 11-2 run to keep them close.
However, it was Perpetual’s last moves as Jielo Razon and Ben Adamos missed a few baskets in the last minutes of the game, giving way for JRU to clinch their second straight win.
Rookie John Amores led JRU with 15 points, while Dela Rosa, Marq Dionisio and Stefan Steinl had 12 markers each. JL Delos Santos, another prized rookie, almost filled the stat sheets with seven points, nine boards, six assists, and three steals.
On the other hand, Perpetual was limited to just 39.68% shooting with Aurin finishing with 14 points. Charcos and Rey Peralta added 13 points each in the losing effort.
The Scores:
JRU 71 – Amores 15, Dela Rosa 12, Dionisio 12, Steinl 12, Miranda 11, Delos Santos 7, Aguilar 2, Arenal 0, Jungco 0, Vasquez 0
PERPETUAL 66 – Aurin 14, Charcos 13, Peralta 13, Egan 7, Adamos 6, Razon 5, Cuevas 3, Sevilla 2, Barasi 0, Giussani 0, Lanoy 0
Quarter scores: 17-11, 41-28, 56-52, 71-66
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