FINDING its rhythm in the final period, Jose Rizal U streaked to its third straight victory with a come-from-behind 77-72 triumph over St. Benilde in the 88th NCAA basketball tournament Monday night at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Playing with urgency, the Bombers completed a remarkable rally from 17 points down in the third period to claim their sixth win in seven outings, gaining a share of top spot with the San Sebastian Stags, who prevailed over Emilio Aguinaldo College in the earlier game.
Nate Matute wound up with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Ronnel Carampil and Byron Villarias contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Bombers, who rallied from a 44-61 deficit late in the third period.
Mark Romero and Joel Tolentino stood at the forefront of the Blazers’ strong showing in the third period, but St. Benilde was unable to sustain the surge as the Bombers outscored them, 28-11, in the last 10 minutes.
The game was delayed for a couple of hours after one of the arena rings was damaged by a dunk of San Sebastian forward Calvin Abueva.
JRU’s players arrived five and a half hours before the game tipped off. It took a while for them to warm up as the Bombers blew hot and cold in the first half, where they trailed by as large as seven, before settling for a three-point lead at the break.
The Blazers threatened to rip the game wide open with a 17-0 run in the fourth period, but when the Bombers found their stride in the final period, St. Benilde could do little about it.
Meanwhile, Abueva was named NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week, after a string of superb performances.
Playing on his final year with the Stags, the 6-foot-3 workhorse proved almost unstoppable in leading San Sebastian past Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Abueva capped his heroics with four charities in the last minute to help the Stags claim their fifth win in six games. A top prospect in the PBA Draft, the Pampanga-born star tallied 29 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists for the Stags.
The scores:
JRU 77—Matute 22, Carampil 14, Villarias 12, Lopez 7, Almario 6, Diapera 6, Camasura 4, Mabulac 4, Mendoza 2, Dela Paz 0, Salaveria 0.
ST. BENILDE 72—Romero 18, Tolentino 13, Lastimosa 13, Grey 8, Taha 6, Sinco 5, Deles 4, Maconocido 3, Bartolo 2, Garcia 0, Ongteco 0, Tan 0, Altamirano 0.
Quarters: 16-23, 40-37, 49-63, 77-72