Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
IT TOOK nine games, but Jose Rizal U coach Vergel Meneses heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of his Heavy Bombers finally regaining their old, fiery form.
The timing couldn’t have been any better for the Bombers to claim their biggest scalp of the 92nd NCAA basketball tournament.
Under pressure to finally make a Final Four push, JRU snapped San Beda’s unbeaten start with a stunning 79-73 victory Tuesday to finish the elimination round with a 4-5 record at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
“I finally saw the desire to win, which I didn’t see when we played Arellano,” said Meneses.
“The energy was not there last time. They looked like they just wanted to finish the game and not to win the game. I hope it will be like this every game from now on.”
Later, Mapua hammered out a gutsy 79-75 victory over defending champion Letran as both finalists from last season fell on the final day of the first round.
Shane Menina took over in the final period for the Cardinals, pouring for 12 of his 17 points in the last 10 minutes, while Allwell Oraeme chipped in 20 points and 20 rebounds playing all 40 minutes.
The victory could prove crucial for the Cardinals in what is turning out to be a tight Final Four race.
Mapua closed out the first round with a 6-3 record, one game ahead of Letran.
The Cardinals welcomed point guard CJ Isit back into the lineup as the lefty guard finished with nine points. But his two turnovers after Menina hit a triple for a 75-71 advantage almost cost the Cardinals the game.
Tipped to make the postseason again this season, the Bombers have struggled for most of the first round.
Meneses can only hope the win over San Beda will trigger a turnaround in the final half of the season which resumes next week after the All-Star festivities on Friday.
The Bombers closed the game with a 20-2 tear powered by veterans Paolo Pontejos, Teytey Teodoro and Abdoulatif Poutouochi as they registered their first victory over the Lions in two years.
San Beda stayed on top with an 8-1 record.
Starting for the second time this season, Pontejos sizzled with a season-high 27 points, spiked by five triples, on top of four assists and three rebounds while Poutouochi dished out a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Teodoro nailed a triple from the corner to give the Heavy Bombers a 74-73 lead with 1:48 left to play.
The scores:
First Game
JRU 79—Pontejos 27, Poutouochi 14, Teodoro 14, Grospe 9, Dela Virgen 5, Lasquety 4, Cruz 4, Abdul Wahab 2, Dela Paz 0, Mendoza 0.
SAN BEDA 73—Tankoua 28, Potts 11, Soberano 7, Bolick 6, Mocon 6, Noah 6, Oftana 4, Tongco 2, Sara 2, Presbitero 1, Alas 0, Bonsubre 0, Navarro 0.
Quarters: 14-22, 35-37, 53-66, 79-73
Second Game
MAPUA 79—Oraeme 20, Eriobu 19, Menina 17, Isit 9, Orquina 4, Biteng 3, Victoria 3, Estrella 2, Serrano 2, Raflores 0
LETRAN 75—Quinto 20, Sollano 16, Nambatac 13, Calvo 9, Balanza 8, Luib 7, Ambohot 2, Apreku 0, Bernabe 0
Quarters: 19-22, 38-42, 54-58, 79-75