Chiefs ambush Knights, notch first victory

IT’S ARELLANO’S turn to deal Letran another monumental upset.

Holding off Letran’s endgame run, the Chiefs shocked the favored Knights, 77-67, to claim their first victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

And it took a rookie to help the Chiefs snap out of a winless skid as James Forrester buried a team-high 18 points, including a key triple in a decisive 11-0 run in the final three minutes.

“We worked on our mindset before coming into the game,” said Arellano coach Koy Banal. “The goal was just to stay positive and have fun.”

Forrester, a Filipino-Canadian wingman who delivered all his team’s four triples, also grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Chiefs to a 1-3 record.

The Knights were still in it late in the game behind Kevin Alas and Kevin Racal, who combined for 11 points in the fourth period to trim an 11-point margin, 62-51, to just four, 66-62.

A Mark Cruz floater pushed the Knights within a basket, 66-64, with just three minutes to go, before the Chiefs responded with 11 unanswered points to move comfortably ahead again at 77-64.

“That’s the tendency of a team that’s leading down the stretch, especially if the opponent is not backing down,” said Banal. “I just told them to stay calm and execute.”

Also starring for the Chiefs were John Bangga, who shot nine of his 13 points in the second period for a 39-28 lead at the half.

Julius Cadavis had 11 points and John Pinto also chipped in 10 markers for the Chiefs.

Adding to the Knights’ woes were the ejection of veterans Jam Cortes, who was slapped with a flagrant foul 2 early in the second period, and Jonathan Belorio, who incurred two flagrant fouls in the third quarter.

The upset came just a week after the Knights absorbed an unexpected 66-69 setback from Perpetual Help.

Earlier, Emilio Aguinaldo College picked up its first victory in three games as the Brigadiers overwhelmed Lyceum, 119-54, in the lone juniors game.

The senior scores:

ARELLANO 77—Forrester 18, Bangga 13,Cadavis 11, Pinto 10, Acidre 9, Zulueta 7, Caperal 5, Valera 2, Salcedo, Hernandez 0.

LETRAN 67—K. Alas 22, Racal 15, Cruz 12, K. Alas 8, Belorio 5, Lituania 2, Cortes 2, Cudal 1, Olotu 0, Luib 0, Pantin 0.

Quarters: 21-17, 39-28, 60-51, 77-67