St. Clare held University of the East to just two points in the last three minutes to pull off a stunning 83-77 win while San Sebastian College-Recoletos coasted to third win in the PG Flex Linoleum-UCBL Invitational Tournament Friday at the SGS Gym in Quezon City.
Trailing for most of the way, the Saints forced the Warriors to either make hurried shots or turn the ball with their sustained defensive pressure on the way to delivering a telling 10-2 windup – thanks to Johnsherick Estrada.
The Stags, on the other hand, encountered little trouble in dispatching the Philippine Women’s University side, 92-63, for a 3-1 record.
The Stags had four players scoring in double figures with Nikko Aguilar leading the way with 21 points and 3 boards.
Estrada top-scored for the Saints with 18 points, including four pressure-packed charities apart from posting 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
The win improved St. Clare’s win-loss mark to 2-1 – the same record of the Warriors.
Estrada was supported by Ryan Sual and Ahron Estacio who chipped in 16 and 10 points, respectively, that negated the 24-point performance of Noy Remogat for the Warriors.
St. Clare took a 19-16 lead in the first 10 minutes of play before UE seized the momentum and outscored its rival from Caloocan for a 42-32 halftime lead.
The Saints, however, managed to wheel back into the contest in the third before coming through with a decisive run that turned things around in their favor.