ARELLANO remained the only unbeaten team in the NCAA Season 102 men's basketball tournament after hacking out a thrilling 82-81 win over an erstwhile immaculate Letran side on Monday at the Filoil Center in San Juan.
The Chiefs closed the game out on a 9-3 run but left several opportunities for the Knights to steal the win in the end, especially after T-Mc Ongotan missed two free throws which would've given them a three point spread.
But Denzil Sison-Walker missed a three-pointer on the break before Nat Montecillo also clunked a desperation three as the Chiefs moved to 4-0 to sweep its initial group run while sending the Knights down to 3-1 who played minus star guard Titing Manalili.
"Ito yung fruit ng labor namin nung preseason. The lessons learned, yung mga inimprove namin. Of course, yung maturity nangyayari yan dahil sa mga failures namin in the past seasons namin," Arellano coach Chico Manabat said.
"Evident din na yung mga bata, yung composure nila, yung togetherness, na gusto nila manalo. Yung will to win. Ayun ang nakita natin kanina."
Even without Manalili and the struggles of its veterans in Kevin Santos and Jimboy Estrada, the Knights looked poised to steal one as the young tandem of Chad Gammad and Justin Cargo took over in the fourth period.
Gammad gave the Knights a 76-73 lead midway through the quarter, but that's when the Chiefs buckled down on defense, responding with an 8-0 run of their own capped by a booming Karl Flores three to give the Chiefs an 81-76 lead with 3:09 remaining.
Another three-pointer for Gammad, and a lay-up from Cargo to sandwich King Vinoya's split gave the Knights one last chance to steal the game.
But without Manalili to stabilize the team, the Chiefs forced the Knights to rushed shots in the end allowing Arellano to keep its immaculate record for the season.
Ongotan finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks while Flores was the only other Chief in double-digits with 10 points. They did get ample support from Vinoya, Ernest Geronimo and Basti Valencia who chipped in nine points apiece in the win.
Gammad led the way for Letran with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from downtown while Cargo added 20 points and four rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Knights dropped to 3-1.
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