Saint Francis of Assisi College came through with a big third quarter show and rolled to its third straight win with a 76-68 drubbing of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, 76-68, in the National Capital Region Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association (NCRUCLAA) held recently at the University of Makati Gym.
With Paulo Castro, Chris Lalata and Luke Parcero at the helm, the St. Francis Doves shattered a 33-all count as they outscored the Patriots, 25-17, to take a 58-50 lead going into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Doves held on to their lead to improve their record to 4-1, a game behind undefeated Group B leader Colegio de San Lorenzo, which beat Philippine State College of Aeronautics, 86-66.
Saint Francis leaned on the trio of Paulo Castro, Chris Lalata and Luke Parcero to turn the tide in their favor. The Patriots managed to tie the game at the halftime break thanks to a triple by Exequiel de Vera, 33-33, but the Doves started the second half strong via a 13-2 run and never looked back, 46-35.
The Patriots absorbed their third loss in five games and face the tough task of sweeping their last two games in order to have a shot at next month’s quarterfinals.
Castro led the Doves with 21 points while Parcero chipped in 17 and Lalata had a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards.
Kobe Carunungan paced DLSU with 16 points followed by Pacholo Loor with 17.
Scores:
SAINT FRANCIS 76 – Castro 21, Parcero 17, Lalata 14, Chu 8, Manzanilla 3, Cruz 3, Cenita 3, Lanoy 2, Ramos 2, Madrid 2, Custodio 1, Derama 0, Cristobal 0, Ceguerra 0.
DLSU-DASMARIÑAS 68 – Caronongan 16, Loor 14, Mojica 11, Amponin 10, Ronquillo 6, de Vera 5, Khan 4, Imperial 2, Lesmoras 0.