Altas trip Pirates, catch Lions on top

MANILA, Philippines – Perpetual Help toughened it up in the stretch as it turned back a stubborn Lyceum, 71-66, Saturday to get back into the thick of things in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

Nigerian Nosa Omorogbe led his team with 19 points while rookie Juneric Baloria scattered 18 to help the Altas seal their third win in four outings to join the San Beda Red Lions, the reigning three-peat champions, up there.

“It’s our defense in the final minutes that helped us win this game,” said Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario in Filipino.

After Lyceum’s John Azores scored to knot the count at 59-all with 5.46 minutes remaining, the Altas threw the defensive gauntlet on the Pirates while going to the free throw line to outscore their foes, 12-7, the rest of the way.

Baloria, a rookie discovered by del Rosario in the Angeles City, Pampanga playgrounds, came through with another explosive game after erupting for a career-high 33-point performance the last time out.

“We saw him playing in an Inter-Barangay tournament and we knew he’s this talented,” said del Rosario of Baloria, whose arrival has more than made up for the departure of Perpetual’s top scorer last year Jett Vidal.

The win erased the stigma of the Las Pinas-based school’s heartbreaking 77-78 overtime defeat at the hands of San Sebastian last Monday in a game the former protested.

In the end, Perpetual decided to withdraw its protest yesterday and instead sought a clarification from the Management Committee and league commissioner Joe Lipa.

The Altas were asking Lipa why Baloria was not awarded two free throws after he was fouled by Jon Rebollos late in the second quarter of that San Sebastian OT defeat.

Led by Omorogbe and Baloria, the Altas appeared headed to an easy blowout after going into the break with a comfortable 42-30 advantage.

But the Pirates, led by Dexter Zamora’s 13 points and Shane Ko’s 11, slowly but surely clawed back and fought their way to a 55-all deadlock at the end of the third period.

Lyceum kept sticking with Perpetual like a leech at 59-all before the latter tightened up the defensive crews to seal it.

The Pirates, who own the distinction of the only team that beat the Lions this year, fell to 2-2 (win-loss).

 The Scores:

UPHSD (71) -- Omorogbe 19, Baloria 18, Alano 10, Thompson 9, Arboleda 8, Elopre 4, Bantayan 3, Oliveria 0, Dizon 0, Lucente 0, Jolangcob 0.

LPU (66) -- Zamora 13, Ko 11, Mbomiko 10, Azores 10, Baltazar 8, Francisco 5, Lesmoras 5, Ambohot 4, Mendoza 0, Evangelista 0, Taladua 0, Alanes 0.

Quarters: 19-14, 42-30, 55-55, 71-66.