NCAA: Altas rebound, stop Heavy Bombers

The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas secured a 71-65 victory over Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers in the NCAA Season 101 men's basketball tournament crossover round, held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. This win came after Perpetual Help's first defeat in Phase 2 against Colegio de San Juan de Letran, improving their record to 5-1, while JRU fell to 2-3.

The match was closely contested throughout, with Perpetual Help maintaining a slim lead that narrowed to 64-63 in the fourth quarter after JRU's Sanlea Peñaverde hit a crucial three-pointer. In the final minutes, Mark Gojo Cruz of Perpetual Help drew a foul and made three free throws to extend the lead to 67-63, but JRU's Shawn Argente responded with two free throws to close the gap to 65-67. Leobert Casinilio sealed the win for Perpetual with a layup in the last 14 seconds, bringing the score to 69-65.

Head coach Olsen Racela expressed satisfaction with the team's recovery from their previous loss, praising JRU's discipline and highlighting the rebounding efforts of players like Jericho Nuñez, JM Tulabut, Gelo Gelsano, and Emman Pizzaro. Perpetual Help outrebounded JRU 41-33, contributing to their victory.

John Abis led Perpetual Help with 17 points and 7 rebounds, supported by Mark Gojo Cruz with 11 points, while JP Boral and Josh Alcantara added 9 and 8 points respectively. For JRU, Sean Salvador top-scored with 18 points, and Shawn Argente contributed 14 points, but it was insufficient to secure a win.

The final scores were Perpetual Help 71 and JRU 65, with quarter scores of 12-18, 32-34, 52-50, and 71-65. The NCAA tournament continues with upcoming matches featuring Emilio Aguinaldo College against San Sebastián College-Recoletos and Letran versus Lyceum of the Philippines University at the same venue.