Arellano University erased an early 16-point deficit to defeat Jose Rizal University, 91-74, and extend its winning streak to three in the NCAA Season 101 juniors basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The Light Bombers held a 34-18 lead early in the second period after a Charles Caspe jumper before Aaron Manansala’s triple sparked a 12-0 run for the Braves, trimming the deficit to just four.
Caspe momentarily stopped the surge, but Arellano responded with another 9-2 run to grab the lead, 39-38, with Sean Franco capping the rally with a three-pointer.
The two teams went neck-and-neck for the remainder of the half, which ended with JRU on top, 48-45.
Arellano then pulled away in the second half, holding JRU to just 26 combined points in the last two quarters. The Braves poured in 20 points in the third before exploding for 26 in the fourth to seal the win.
Sean Franco once again starred for Arellano with 28 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Ray Ladica and Aaron Manansala added 21 and 20 points, respectively. Chris Dy contributed five points along with 12 assists, while Axel Mendoza chipped in four points and 10 rebounds.
Lexi Callueng led JRU with 13 points, while Datu Usop and Prince Mallorca scored 11 points apiece.
With the victory, Arellano improved to 6-3, while JRU dropped to 3-6 as the crossover phase of the elimination round came to a close.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
