INQUIRER Sports

GAMES MONDAY (FilOil Flying V Arena, San Juan)
10 a.m.—EAC vs AUF (Jrs)
11:45 a.m.—AU vs San Beda (Jrs)
2 p.m.—EAC vs AUF (Srs)
4 p.m.—AU vs San Beda (Srs)

MANILA, Philippines - Playing like a serious title contender again, Jose Rizal U overpowered Perpetual Help, 83-58, for its second victory to grab a piece of the early lead in the 85th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

St. Benilde also notched its second win after the Blazers, proving steadier in the endgame, nipped the Mapua Cardinals, 74-70.

John Wilson hit five of his 10 shots from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points and hulking center James Sena threw his weight around for 14 and a season-high 18 boards as the Bombers seized control early and preserved their lead with key three-point shots.

“I didn’t want a repeat of that game against Letran and I’m happy they responded to the challenge,” said JRU coach Ariel Vanguardia, referring to the narrow 69-66 victory over the Knights in a game where the Bombers nearly lost a 17-point third-quarter lead.

The Blazers did almost everything right in the clutch to battle back from 69-70 down.

Jeff Morial issued a timely drop pass to rookie Jan Tan for a twinner that gave the Blazers a 71-70 lead with 35 seconds left.

The Blazers then stopped a couple of Mapua plays, forcing the Cardinals to foul Robbie Mañalac and Morial, who combined for 3-of-4 from the stripe.

“I’m happy with the character shown by my players,” said Blazers rookie coach Richard del Rosario.

The Bombers, who enjoyed a 52-21 edge in rebounding, zoomed to a 15-point lead at the end of the second quarter, 42-27, behind Sena and Wilson, who combined for 18 points.

The closest the Altas got from there was at 33-45 early in the third.

Earlier, CSB-La Salle Greenhills posted a 99-65 rout of Mapua for its second win that sent the Junior Blazers to the top of the juniors division, where they join San Beda and Letran. The Light Bombers bounced back from a loss to Letran by downing the Altalettes, 101-95.

The varsity scores:

Third Game (Srs)
JRU 83—Wilson 19, Cagoco 16, Sena 14, Hayes 11, Matute 7, Njei 6, Apinan 3, Kabigting 2, Agas 2, Bulangis 2, Salazar 1, Lopez 0, Gabriel 0, Montemayor 0.

Perpetual Help 58—Elopre 13, Ynion 13,Vivero 9, Carullo 7, Galabin 7, Salanga 6, Salvado 3, Rono 0, Hainga 0, dela Cruz 0, Sicat 0, Liaz 0.
Quarters: 23-15, 42-27, 62-41, 83-58

Fourth Game (Srs)
ST. BENILDE 74—Morial 18, Dalanon 12, Montecastro 10, Johnston 8, Manalac 7, Abolucion 6, Manlapaz 5, Tan 4, dela Paz 4, Wong 0, Umlas 0, de Guzman 0.

MAPUA 70—Mangahas 12, Acosta 12, Cornejo 10, Sarangay 9, Guillermo 8, Soriano 6, Pascual 5, Ranises 3, Maniego 2, Espinosa 2, Cinco 1.
Quarters: 16-21, 37-38, 57-56, 74-70