SSC whips Arellano; Perpetual scores

SAN SEBASTIAN repulsed Arellano, 91-70, for its fifth straight win, tying Jose Rizal U yesterday in the NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Ian Sangalang came through with a season-high 27 points and grabbed 16 boards as the Stags dominated the Chiefs throughout

Calvin Abueva added 22 points and pulled down 16 boards, sustaining his streak of double-doubles for the Stags, who broke away in the second quarter.

Struggling in the first half, Jett Vidal found his shooting touch just in time to lift Perpetual Help to a dramatic 72-71 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College earlier.

Vidal nailed three triples inside the last 1:22, including the game winning three with five seconds remaining, as the Altas completed an incredible rally from 11 points down in the last 90 seconds for their sixth victory in eight outings.

The stunning comeback left comebacking coach Aric del Rosario in tears as the Altas surpassed their win total from last year just eight games into the season.

“We did not play well for most of the game, but the players never gave up,” an emotional del Rosario said in Filipino. “We just stuck together.”

Vidal drained back-to-back triples on two turnovers by the Generals in a six-second span to trim the gap, 66-71, prompting del Rosario to compare him to former University of Santo Tomas gunner Henry Ong.

“Your team always has a chance if you have players like them,” said del Rosario.

“I couldn’t get my rhythm in the first half so I had to mix it up in the second half,” said Vidal.

The scores:

First Game:

PERPETUAL HELP 72—Vidal 17, Omorogbe 11, Arboleda 11, Thompson 9, Alano 8, Babayemi 6, Allen 6, Elopre 4, Bitoy 0, Paulino 0, Jolangcob 0.

EAC 71—Morada 23, Happi 13, Jamon 12, Yaya 7, Chiong 4, Monteclaro 0, Paguia 0, King 0, Sanchez 0.

Quarters: 15-13, 35-33, 52-43, 72-71

Second Game

SAN SEBASTIAN 91—Sangalang 27, Abueva 22, Dela Cruz 10, Pascual 9, Binuya 8, Juico 6, Maiquez 4, Antipuesto 3, Balucanag 2, Rebullos 0, Dones 0, Miranda 0.

ARELLANO 70—Pinto 18, Acidre 14, Caperal 9, Hernandez 7, Forrester 7, Bangga 4, Zulueta 4, Cadavis 3, Espiras 2, Salcedo 2, Lunas 0.

Quarters: 25-17, 43-29, 65-47, 91-70