Juneric Baloria helped the Altas defeat the Knights. Jeff Venancio
Perpetual Help stymied Letran College's running game by slowing it down in the stretch as it eked out a 67-64 victory on Wednesday that moved it up to solo third spot in the 90th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.
After erecting an 11-point lead late in the third quarter, the Altas decided to revert to their halfcourt offensive set up that wore down the Knights while sealing the former a seventh win against four outings, which was good for No. 3.
"Letran is hard to beat in transition so I told my players to just slow it down, which worked for us in the end," said Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario in Filipino.
Juneric Baloria paced the Las Pinas-based dribblers with 18 points but it was Earl Scottie Thompson who made things happen in the fourth quarter when he dropped five of his 16 points there.
The 21-year-old Digos, Davao del Sur native capped his offensive effort with 13 rebounds and three assists in a performance that further boosted his stock as he continued to lead the MVP statistical race.
It was the athletic Thompson' triple that gave Perpetual Help a 62-53 lead early in the fourth period, an advantage it used to cushion the impact a spirited fightback put up by the Muralla-based school.
Thompson also made the two foul shots that gave Perpetual Help a 66-63 edge with 49 seconds remaining.
Thompson though apologized for his game-worst eight turnovers.
"The more I try to play cautious, the more I turned the ball over. Good thing I was given a chance to make for it in the fourth quarter," said Thomspon.
After Letran's Reneford Ruaya and Perpetual Help's Harold Arboleda split their free throws, the Knights have 10.8 seconds to tie the game and send the game into overtime but Rey Nambatac misfires on his attempt at the buzzer.
Co-captains Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz paced the Knights with 18 and 16 points, respectively, but they combined for only three points in the final canto that hastened the Knights' downfall.
Letran fell to 4-7 (win-loss).
Paolo Taha led the Blazers to victory over the Pirates. Jeff Venancio
In the second game, Paolo Taha scored 26 points and Mark Romero added 18 to help College of St. Benilde keep its winning streak going with a 74-66 win over Lyceum.
The Blazers improved to 7-4 while the Pirates fell to 5-6.
The scores:
First Game
Perpetual Help 67- Baloria 18, Thompson 16, Arboleda 10, Jolangcob 10, Alano 8, Dagangon 5, Tamayo 0, Gallardo 0, Sadiwa 0, Lucente 0
Letran 64- Racal 18, Cruz 16, Tambeling 8, Nambatac 8, Gabawan 5, Luib 3, Quinto 3, Publico 2, Ruaya 1, Apreku 0, Singontiko 0
Quarters: 16-21; 38-37; 59-51; 67-64
Second Game
St. Benilde 74- Taha 26, Romero 18, Grey 13, Sinco 4, Jonson 3, Bartolo 3, Ongteco 3, Nayve 2, Saavedra 2, Pajarillaga 0, Altamirano 0
Lyceum 66- Baltazar 17, Mbbida 15, Gabayni 11, Taladua 8, Zamora 6, Bulawan 4, Lesmoras 3, Malabanan 2, Maconocido 0
Quarters: 22-28; 36-38; 55-54; 74-66
