Altas, Chiefs score victories in NCAA

MANILA, Philippines -- Perpetual Help went to its league-best defense and shut down Lyceum to a league-worst scoring effort with a 70-42 victory Tuesday to remain at third in the 91st NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

John Ylagan unloaded a career-best 15 points, all coming from behind the arc while Nigerian Prince Eze came through with countryman Bright Akhuetie going down with a shoulder injury as the Altas nailed their eighth win against three defeats.

The 6-11 Eze dropped 18 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks on the Pirates, who fell to their eighth setback against three wins.

Reigning MVP Earl Scottie Thompson, who is drafted fifth overall by Ginebra this year in the PBA rookie draft, also shone by registering his fourth triple-double performance of the season with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

"We needed this win badly for our confidence," said Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario, whose charges fell to Mapua, 65-70, last week.

The Las Pinas-based school though saw Akhuetie, the league's leading scorer, hurt his shoulder late in the second quarter and did not return in the second half.

Earlier, Arellano University bounced back from a heartbreaking 112-114 double overtime defeat to Jose Rizal last week with an 86-82 triumph over upset-conscious College of St. Benilde.

Jio Jalalon, Dioncee Holts and Allen Enriquez combined for 31 of the Chiefs' 31 fourth quarter points to help stave off the Blazers' hot shooting from the three-point area and snare their seventh win against four defeats, which was good for No. 4.

Jalalon went on to finish with 20 points he spiked with six rebounds and nine assists while Holts and Enriquez had 15 and 14, respectively, as Arellano survived a league-best 15 three-pointers by St. Benilde.

"We had a scouting report that says St. Benilde can't shoot from the outside. We threw that right away and just played defense," said Arellano coach Jerry Codinera.

Arellano thus erased the stigma of its loss to Jose Rizal, which it initially put under protest before deciding in the end to withdraw it out of sportsmanship.

Jonathan Grey came back from last game's benching by erupting for a game-high 22 points before collapsing in the end as the Blazers fell to their ninth defeat against two wins.

The Blazers went on attack mode early as they roared to a 10-0 start.

The Chiefs caught up and even seized a 38-37 lead at the break with Fil-Canadian Zach Nicholls waxing hot in from beyond the arc.

After shooting six triples, the Blazers buried nine in the second half and was in command entering the fourth.

And then Jalalon, Holts and Enriquez took charge.

In juniors' action, Lyceum dumped Perpetual Help, 88-74, to improve to 8-3 and St. Benilde downed Arellano, 80-67, to go 6-5.

The scores:

First Game:

Arellano 86- Jalalon 15, Holts 15, Enriquez 14, Salado 12, Nicholls 11, Gumaru 11, Bangga 2, Cadavis 1, Capara 0, Meca 0, de Guzman 0, Zamora 0, Tano 0

St. Benilde 82- Grey 22, Domingo 16, Saavedra 14, Jonson 13, Nayve 9, Ongteco 5, Fajarito 2, Sta. Maria 1, Deles 0, Castor 0, San Juan 0

Quarterscores: 16-22; 38-37; 55-60; 86-82

Second Game

Perpetual Help 70- Eze 18, Ylagan 15, Thompson 13, Dagangon 12, Akhuetie 6, Gallardo 3, Elopre 2, Tamayo 1,  Oliveria 0, Dizon 0, Coronel 0, Pido 0

Lyceum 42- Bulawan 13, Alanes 10, Baltazar 4, Lacastesantos 4, Ayaay 4, Nguidjol 3, Malabanan 2, Mbida 2, Sunga 0, Soliman 0, Taladua 0, Elmerjab 0

Quarterscores: 17-11; 40-20; 50-35; 70-42