Altas turn back Cards, firm up win-once bid

Games tomorrow (The Arena, San Juan)

4 p.m. – St. Benilde vs San Sebastian

6 p.m. – Arellano U vs Jose Rizal

Standings            W            L

San Beda             11           2

Perpetual            11           3

Letran   10           3

San Sebastian    8              5

EAC        6              7

Jose Rizal             5              7

St. Benilde          5              8

Lyceum                4              9

Arellano U           4              9

Mapua 1              12

MANILA, Philippines - Perpetual Help outfought Mapua in the crunch, carving out a 73-65 win to remain in the hunt for one of the two twice-to-beat incentives in the coming Final Four of the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.

Juneric Baloria again lived up to his billing as Perpetual’s top gun, tossing in 18 points while Harold Arboleda added 15 as the Altas stayed among the tournament frontrunners with an 11-3 win-loss record.

Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario said they would work hard to have a shot at playoffs top seeding.

“We’re No. 3 right now but we’re hoping to finish as the top seed in the Final Four. It will be a long, tough fight for sure,” said the 73-year-old multi-titled mentor in Filipino.

Scottie Earl Thompson, slowly regaining old form following a bout with back and hernia injuries, came through with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in what’s easily his finest all-round game in the season thus far.

“Scottie is like that last year before his injuries. I’m just happy to see him starting to recover his old form,” said Del Rosario.

The Cardinals stuck with the Altas like leeches with a resolute defense and made the game close through the first three quarters, 50-55.

The Cardinals, who were led by Mark Brana’s game-high 19 points and Exequiel Biteng’s 18, reeled to a 12th loss against a lone win.

In the nightcap, Emilio Aguinaldo College torched Letran with a torrid shooting, pulling off a shocking 87-64 rout to climb to solo fifth at 6-7.

Aiming to regain a share of the lead with the San Beda Red Lions, the Knights instead slid to third at 10-3, their bid blown into pieces by the hot-shooting Generals.

The Generals went on a three-point shooting binge in the second half, draining 10 of  11 attempts from beyond the arc.

Joshua Paguia led the team with 16 points, including 12 from the three-point line, while Jan Jamon and John Tayongtong knocked in three and two triples to finish with 14 and 11 points, respectively.