Endgame composure was on display this time for Arellano University, which eked out a 78-71 win over San Sebastian College-Recoletos in NCAA Season 101 action on Wednesday at the Filoil Centre.
The Chiefs, who previously fell to Jose Rizal University on a game-winning basket by Ivan Panapanaan, held off the streaking Stags to improve to 4-6 in Group A.
San Sebastian, coming off back-to-back wins against Letran and Perpetual, dropped to 3-8.
T-Mc Ongotan and Renzo Abiera came up big in their second half surge with the former dropping 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block while the latter poured 20 markers, including two consecutive triples late in the fourth, four boards, one dime, and one steal.
Joseph Hernal chipped in nine points laced with seven rebounds and two steals as the Chiefs returned to the win column following three straight losses.
"Magandang panalo ngayon and siguro 'yung pagkatalo namin [sa JRU] ay lesson learned, nu'ng bumalik kami sa group namin sabi namin sana dire-diretso na," Arellano head coach Chico Manabat said.
"Basta healthy sila kasi may mga struggles sa injuries eh, pero so far so good and nakita ko naman 'yung response ng mga bata and naghahanda kami dito sa grupo namin."
Down two at the half, Arellano went on a spree in the second half with the troika of Hernal, Abiera, and Ongotan powering a 12-2 run to open the third for a 52-40 lead.
Abiera would complete a three-point play to send his team to its biggest lead, 59-46, before the Chiefs ended the penultimate period holding on to a 63-55 cushion.
It didn’t help San Sebastian’s cause that rookie sensation Jhuniel Dela Rama struggled to find his rhythm offensively, but the Stags fought back still.
Veterans Christian Ricio and TJ Felebrico led their fourth-quarter cimeback with the latter sinking a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two, 65-67.
But the Chiefs had an answer in the form of Abiera, whose two crucial triples allowed Arellano to regain a 73-68 advantage in the final four minutes. Ongotan provided the finishing kick, knocking down a jumper before completing three straight freebies to seal the victory.
Oneil Castor paced the Stags with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Ricio churned out 14 markers, eight boards, and one dime.
Dela Rama, who was voted as the latest Player of the Week, was scoreless in the second half to finish with 11 points laced with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Scores:
Arellano 78 – Ongotan 25, Abiera 20, Hernal 9, Geronimo 6, Valencia 4, Vinoya 4, Borromeo 2, Demetria 2, Camay 2, Cabotaje 2, Acop 2, Libang 0, Buenaventura 0, Langit 0, Anama 0.
San Sebastian 71 – Castor 19, Ricio 14, Segovia 11, Dela Rama 11, Felebrico 5, Cabilla 5, Gabat 4, Lumanag 2, Cuajao 0, Dimaunahan 0 Quarter scores: 22-20, 40-38, 63-55, 78-71.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
