MANILA, Philippines—When he took over the coaching job at Perpetual Help, veteran mentor Aric del Rosario promised to get the Altas out of the cellar, where they have been languishing in the past few seasons.
With the way things are going, the multi-titled coach may not only fulfill his promise, but, even take the Altas to greater heights in the 88th NCAA basketball tournament.
The Altas showed toughness in the endgame Thursday night as they hacked out a 94-88 overtime victory over the Mapua Cardinals for their fifth victory in seven outings at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Sophomore guard Earl Thompson brandished another all-around game with 22 points, 10 assists that went with five rebounds and four steals as the Altas bounced back from a 59-64 beating from Jose Rizal U.
“I’m making good of my promise and giving the school even more,” Del Rosario joked.
The Altas lost a 10-point lead in the last three minutes of regulation, but recovered in the extra session and sent the Cardinals to their third straight defeat.
Trailing 87-88, the Altas struck back through Thompson, Chris Elopre and Femi Babayemi to all but wrap up the win at 93-88 with barely a minute remaining.
“We’re trying to instill a no-quit attitude in the hearts of the players,” said Del Rosario, after the Altas scored their second overtime win of the season.
The Altas found an unlikely boost from George Allen, who tallied 19 points on 3-of-5 shooting aside from grabbing eight boards. Nursing a knee injury, Allen came into the game averaging just 2.5 points in his first five games.
Allen and Nigerian forward Nick Omorogbe got off to a quick start, combining for five triples in the first half, while Thompson efficiently ran the offense, allowing the Altas to stay in control for most of the game.
A 10-0 blast capped by a Gab Banal layup paved the way for the game’s first deadlock at 80 with 1:41 left.
Thompson scored all but eight of Perpetual’s last 10 points in regulation, but the Cardinals still forged overtime with Banal’s two free throws.
The senior scores:
PERPETUAL 94—Thompson 22, Allen 19, Babayemi 13, Omorogbe 11, Vidal 11, Elopre 9, Arboleda 7, Alano 2, Paulino 0, Jolangcob 0.
MAPUA 88—Parala 20, G. Banal 18, J. Banal 15, Ighalo 12, Nimes 7, Stevens 5, Eriobu 4, Chien 3, Saitanan 2, Brana 2, Estrella 0.
Quarters: 24-11, 44-35, 64-57, 85-85 (reg.), 94-88