Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Prince Eze imposed his presence down low and carried the Saints over Heroes, 84-80, in the 2017 NCAA All-Star Game Friday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The Nigerian big man continued his dominant tear, tallying a double-double of 17 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks to come away with the All-Star MVP award.
His freebies with 10.4 seconds left sealed the deal for the Saints team, comprised of stars from Perpetual, San Beda, Letran, San Sebastian, and St. Benilde.
Gab Dagangon added 14 markers and three boards, while Rey Nambatac had 12 points, three assists, and two rebounds for the Saints.
The Heroes had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but Tey Teodoro lost the handle on his drive as the Saints secured the steal, before Eze got hacked on his undergoal stab in the last 10 seconds.
Coach Boyet Fernandez enjoyed the rare chance to mentor these collection of players.
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
“At least, the players enjoyed the game. We did try to balance the playing time for everyone so that they’ll be given a chance to play. At least in the end, when it was a close game, we made some stops,” he said.
CJ Perez paced the Heroes team, made up of studs from Lyceum, JRU, EAC, Arellano, and Mapua, with 15 points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists, and a block.
Jerome Garcia also went 3-of-4 from threes to wound up with nine markers in the defeat.
The Scores:
SAINTS 84 – Eze 17, Dagangon 14, Nambatac 12, Bolick 7, Quinto 6, Baetiong 6, Mocon 5, Valdez 5, Potts 4, Calvo 3, Domingo 3, Dixon 1, Baytan 0, Castor 0, Ylagan 0.
HEROES 80 – Perez 15, Garcia 9, Salado 8, Victoria 7, Flores 6, Mendoza 6, Teodoro 5, Munsayac 5, Grospe 4, Enriquez 4, Bunag 4, Nzeusseu 3, Raflores 3, Onwubere 1, Ayaay 0.
Quarters: 23-18, 45-41, 66-64, 84-80.