By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Jose Rizal University fended off Arellano’s late rally with a 92-89 squeaker in NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The Bombers held their fort behind the efforts of Marvin Raymundo and Joshua Guiab particularly in the pivotal last minute of the game to clinch their second win in six outings.
Raymundo pumped in 21 points and hauled seven rebounds while Guiab chipped in 18 points including an 11-of-13 clip from the charity stripe as the win also tied JRU with San Sebastian.
But it didn’t come without some scary moments where the Bombers saw their comfortable 89-78 cushion in the last 53.7 seconds get slowly trimmed down to a single possession, 91-89, after Jeadan Ongotan sparked an 11-2 run with 7.4 ticks to go.
Arellano was forced to stop the clock by fouling Raymundo, which he responded with a split charity, but failed to convert that final possession to extend the game into overtime as Renzo Abiera’s buzzer-beating triple bounced off the rim.
It was another tough loss for the Chiefs, who battled through 11 deadlocks and 16 lead changes only to slip to a 1-5 card to remain at the cellar.
Shawn Argente also stepped up for JRU with 20 points highlighted by three tiples, while Mart Barrera added 14 points.
Ongotan finished with 20 points while Lorenz Capulong and Troy Valencia added 15 points apiece in a losing effort for Arellano.
The Scores:
JRU 92 – Raymundo 21, Argente 20, Guiab 18, Barrera 14, Medina 5, Panapanaan 4, Pangilinan 3, Benitez 2, Mosqueda 2, Lozano 2, Sarmiento 1, Ferrer 0, De Leon 0, Samontanes 0.
ARELLANO 89 – Ongotan 20, Capulong 15, Valencia 15, Vinoya 10, Camay 9, Abiera 8, Hernal 6, Borromeo 2, Geronimo 2, Libang 2, Estacio 0, Espiritu 0, Miller 0, Rosalin 0.
Quarters: 27-23; 49-48; 63-63; 92-89.
