NCAA: Best yet to come for San Sebastian rookie Yambing; Perpetual’s Abis surprises self after triple-double

San Sebastian’s Rhinwil Yambing made 11 3-pointers against JRU. NCAA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A pair of impressive individual performances highlighted Friday’s doubleheader in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament.

Rookie Rhinwil Yambing stole the show after a stellar shooting display for San Sebastian.

Yambing set a season-high with 36 points on a blistering 11-of-15 shooting from downtown as the Stags rolled past a depleted Jose Rizal University side, 92-74.

“We all know Rhinwil is a scorer. He has the range. We made 22 triples with 11 from Yambing so it works, our shooting drills,” said San Sebastian coach Macaraya.

“A lot is saying that Yambing is good and he’s showing it. I guess it’s not just me who sees Yambing playing good basketball. You guys haven’t seen everything yet,” he added.

Yambing eclipsed the previous season-high recorded by Blazers big man Will Gozum, who scored 34 points also against the Heavy Bombers on October 26.

Perpetual Help forward Cedrick Abis also had his moment after he led the Altas to a stunning 89-83 win over College of St. Benilde after posting 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Abis’ all-around effort marked the first triple-double in an NCAA game since 2018 when Bong Quinto had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for Letran.

“I was surprised that I performed like that. My role is to just play and give my best so when I found out that I had a triple-double, I was really happy that I don’t know how I got there,” said Abis.

The stellar play of Abis and Yambing was a refreshing sight for the league after JRU player John Amores instigated an ugly brawl during a game between the Heavy Bombers and the Blazers three days ago.