INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- The story behind their struggles dumbfounded even their coach.

So it was easy to understand the relief on the face of coach Louie Alas after the Letran Knights' came from behind to secure a 60-54 victory over Philippine Christian University and gain a playoff for a Final Four slot in the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

On any given day, the Knights’ shooting percentage reflected that of a team on a wrong end of the blowout.

But they turned to their defense to keep them afloat, before a whirlwind finish spearheaded by skipper RJ Jazul and Carl Melegrito pulled them through against the Dolphins, who looked determined to end their NCAA stint on a winning note for three and a half quarters.

"I don't know what's happening to my team," Alas said, after the Knights survived despite shooting just 28 percent on the floor. "We were struggling for 37 minutes. If not for our defense we would have been blown out."

Jazul's kamikaze drive over 6-foot-5 Junar Arce shattered a 54-all tie with 40 seconds left.

The Dolphins turned the ball over on the next play and Dennis San Pedro fouled Jazul, who drilled two free throws with 17 seconds left.

Jazul, who struggled the past three games, stole the ball from San Pedro after a PCU timeout, forcing another foul, before ensuring victory with another pair of foul shots.

The Knights went scoreless from the 2-minute mark of the third canto until the first three and a half minutes of the fourth, enabling the Dolphins to seize a 46-37 lead.

Jazul snapped the drought with a couple of free throws and knocked in a three after Melegrito hit five straight points to trim the gap, 49-51, with 4:25 left.

In their last game before taking an indefinite leave of absence starting next season, the Dolphins zoomed to a 21-9 lead behind Tim McCoy and Marlon Gomez.

The Knights suffered an injury blow as Anjo Latonio strained his right knee early in the second quarter.

The Scores:

Letran 60 --- Jazul 20, Melegrito 13, Foronda 10, Belencion 5, Cortes 5, Guevarra3, Ranises 2, Del Rosario 2, Dangcal 0, Cabonce 0, Latonio 0.

PCU 59 --- McCoy 11, Gomez 11, Siruma 9, Vidal 6, San Pedro 6, Busa 5, Allen 3, Arce 2, Sumera 0, Asunscion 0.

Quarters: 7-12, 19-28, 37-40, 60-54