Arellano University’s star guard Jio Jalalon. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
There is something about playing San Beda that always draw the best from Arellano U’s Jio Jalalon.
Jalalon delivered one of his best performances of the 91st NCAA basketball tournament to power the Chiefs to a 91-72 victory Friday and a rare elimination round sweep of the Lions at The Arena in San Juan City.
Jalalon dropped game-highs 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lift Arellano to the victory that fanned its Final Four bid.
It also clinched Jalalon the ACCEL Quantum/3XVI-NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week award, his second after winning the same honor following a 22-point, eight-assists and six-rebound effort in an 88-84 win also over San Beda in the first round on Aug. 18.
Jalalon shone the brightest in the first quarter when he exploded for 11 points that set the tone for the rout as the Chiefs handed the reigning five-peat champions their worst defeat of the season since an 80-93 setback to the Letran Knights in July.
Jalalon, 23, however, said it was just coincidence that he excelled when faced against San Beda.
“I was just angry at myself, not at San Beda because we’re coming off two straight losses that I feel we should have won,” said Jalalon, a native of Cagayan de Oro, in Filipino.