Colegio de San Juan de Letran caught fire from beyond the arc to overwhelm Arellano University, 91-77, and extend its winning streak to four games in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

After completing a sweep of the Chiefs in the elimination round, the Knights now own the longest active winning streak in the NCAA.

Having already secured a quarterfinal berth, Letran further solidified its hold on the top spot in Group B and strengthened its bid for a twice-to-beat advantage, improving to an 8-3 record.

After a slow start, the Knights closed the first quarter with a 25-19 lead, courtesy of a Justin Cargo jumper and a Chad Gammad triple in the final minute of the opening period.

From there, Letran began to pull away as multiple players caught fire from deep, unleashing a barrage of three-pointers against the Chiefs. The Knights broke the game open with a 22-4 run, highlighted by five consecutive triples.

By halftime, Letran had built a commanding 23-point lead after shooting an impressive nine-of-14 from beyond the arc, with Jimboy Estrada, Cargo, and Aaron Buensalida all scoring in double figures.

Despite the sizeable deficit, Arellano refused to go down without a fight and made a push to cut into the lead in the second half.

Taking advantage of Letran’s foul trouble in the third quarter, the Chiefs trimmed the deficit to 78-68 with an 8-0 run, highlighted by seven points from Renzo Abiera.

The Knights quickly put an end to Arellano’s rally, however, answering with a 13-0 run of their own behind Estrada’s hot shooting.

After restoring their 20-point cushion, Letran cruised through the closing minutes to secure its fourth consecutive victory.

The Knights will look to sustain their momentum when they face the EAC Generals next Thursday, November 5, at 3 p.m. at the same venue.

Arellano, meanwhile, remains in second place in Group B despite slipping to 5-6. The Chiefs have now lost six of their last seven games and are riding a three-game losing streak.

They will look to get back on track against the San Sebastian Stags on Tuesday, November 3, at 3 p.m. at the same venue.

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University of Perpetual Help System DALTA finally snapped its six-game losing skid, holding on for a 65-58 victory over Arellano University in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Monday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

After starting the season at 2-1, the Altas endured six straight defeats, including three overtime heartbreaks. Their last victory came against the San Sebastian Stags on September 21.

With its first win in over a month, Perpetual improved to 3-7 in Group B to kick off the final round of eliminations.

“We just stuck to our system lang. Tiwala lang kami sa defense na ibinibigay ni Coach Olsen (Racela). Sa lahat ng mga heartbreak na nangyari, collective unit pa rin kami no matter what,” said LA Casinillo.

Staring at an 11-point deficit at the start of the third quarter, the Chiefs powered through a 12-3 surge to tie the game at 37-all.

The Altas responded with a 10-0 run of their own, before King Vinoya ended the drought with a triple with a minute left in the third period, as Perpetual entered the final frame ahead, 48-40.

Arellano continued to fight back, relying on their outside shooting to cut the deficit to four midway through the fourth quarter.

Even with the Chiefs’ early foul trouble, Arellano managed to further slice into the Altas’ advantage, cutting the deficit to 57-54 with an Ernest Geronimo three-pointer with four minutes left.

Geronimo kept his hot hand, sinking a stepback jumper before converting a step-through floater to tie the game at 58-all.

Casinillo came to Perpetual’s rescue, scoring on a quick layup before squeezing in another through Arellano’s defense to give the Altas a 62-58 lead with 49.7 seconds remaining.

Perpetual caught another break on the other end, as Vinoya’s three-point attempt hit the side of the backboard. Mark Gojo Cruz then sealed the Altas’ hard-fought win from the line.

“Actually, yung main defense namin was for T-Mc Ongotan and Basti Valencia. They didn’t play [that much], pero even if they played, we would still be ready kung anong gagawin ng Arellano against us. Thankfully, nakuha namin yung panalo,” added Casinillo, who finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

T-Mc Ongotan was held to just four points in 12 minutes of action, while Basti Valencia only logged three minutes on the court.

Gojo Cruz finished with 14 points—10 of which came from free throws—and five rebounds.

Casinillo added 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

The Altas will next face the EAC Generals on Friday, October 30, at 5 p.m. in the San Andres Gym in Manila.

Arellano, meanwhile, dropped to 5-5 in the standings after absorbing its second consecutive loss.

Anjord Cabotaje paced the Chiefs with 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals, while Geronimo recorded 12 points, four assists, and three steals.

The Chiefs will aim to bounce back against the Season 101 finalist Letran Knights on Thursday, October 29, at 5 p.m. in the same venue.

The Scores:


Perpetual Help 65 – Gojo Cruz 14, Casinillo 11, Tulabut 9, Gelsano 7, Borja 6, Orgo 5, Maglupay 5, Duremdes 5, Cristino 3, Corpuz 0, Roluna 0.

Arellano 58 – Cabotaje 16, Geronimo 12, Vinoya 9, Hernal 6, Ongotan 4, Manansala 4, Abiera 3, Flores 2, Buenaventura 2, Borromeo 0, Anama 0, Valencia 0, Langit 0, Camay 0.

Quarterscores: 16-15, 34-23, 48-40, 65-58.

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By: Joaquin Cortez

Arellano University remained unbeaten, edging Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 82-81, to finish the first round of the group phase with a perfect 4-0 record in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Both teams entered Monday’s matchup as the last two remaining undefeated squads in the tournament, but it was the Chiefs who claimed the top spot in Group B at 4-0. Letran, meanwhile, absorbed its first loss of the season to slip to 3-1 in second place heading into the crossover round.

“Siguro ‘yong good luck nasa amin talaga. Maraming mga struggles kanina and mga attempts namin, ‘di pumasok, but luckily, ‘yong pinaka-huling segundo, doon kami naka-advance,” Arellano head coach Chico Manabat said. “‘Yong rebounding, ‘yong breaks na naka-steal kami; ‘yon ‘yong storya.”

Trailing by six points at halftime, Arellano flipped the momentum in the third quarter, capitalizing on offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and outscoring Letran, 26-15, to take a 68-63 lead heading into the fourth.

Just as Arellano began to take control, the Chiefs were dealt a setback with six minutes left in the fourth quarter when Basti Valencia was disqualified after being called for an unsportsmanlike foul on a three-point attempt involving excessive contact with Kevin Santos.

Following Valencia’s ejection, Chad Gammad answered with four straight points, converting a free throw before knocking down a three-pointer to put Letran back ahead, 76-73.

Arellano refused to go away, responding with an 8-0 run capped by a Karl Flores triple to reclaim the lead, 81-76, with more than three minutes remaining.

Despite another Gammad triple and Justin Cargo keeping Letran’s comeback hopes alive, the Knights had two chances to steal the game in the final seconds. However, shots from Gammad and Denzil Walker rimmed out as Arellano escaped with the victory.

T-Mc Ongotan carried the Chiefs with a career-high 29 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, while Flores added 10 points and five rebounds.

“Tinatrabaho ko lang naman ‘yong puwede kong matulong sa court, lalo na medyo mahigpit na ‘yong bantay sa akin, and kapag hinahawakan ko ‘yong bola, ‘di talaga ako makabuwelo,” Ongotan said after his career-high performance. “Tinrabaho ko lang ‘yong puwede kong gawin kahit wala sa akin ‘yong bola and nag-effort lang ako.”

Gammad led the Knights with a career-best 23 points, including six three-pointers, while Cargo chipped in 20 points, four rebounds, and two steals.

The Knights played without Titing Manalili, who is recovering from a right wrist sprain sustained in their previous game against Emilio Aguinaldo College last Thursday.

Both teams will begin their crossover-round campaigns next week. Letran will face San Beda University in a rematch of last year’s finals on Monday, Oct. 5, at 5:00 p.m., while Arellano takes on Mapúa University on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 3:00 p.m.

The Scores:

Arellano 82 – Ongotan 29, Flores 10, Vinoya 9, Valencia 9, Geronimo 9, Borromeo 6, Manansala 3, Abiera 3, Camay 2, Libang 2, Buenaventura 0, Cabotaje 0.

Letran 81 – Gammad 23, Cargo 20, Walker 10, Estrada 9, Valdeavilla 6, Buensalida 5, Santos 4, Montecillo 2, Diamante 2, Hugo 0, Reyes 0.

Quarterscores: 25-28, 42-48, 68-63, 82-81.

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