By: Jeffrey Gatdula
The Letran Knights' payback after its loss against AU Chiefs, at the FilOil EcoOil Center. Photo by Arali Santiago of The LANCE.
The Letran Knights retaliated their first-round loss to the Arellano Chiefs by winning 65-53 earlier today in the NCAA Season 98 Men's Basketball Tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Chiefs, who broke Letran's 14-win streak last September 21 during their first-round bout, finally tasted the ruin of this season's defending champions. This is now the Knight’s 5th straight dub dating back to the first round.
Letran now ascends to 8-3 led by the hailed best player, King Caralipio, who snatched a double-double performance of 13 points and 13 rebounds plus a steal.
Fran Yu also hammered down 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while Brent Paraiso contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals of his own.
The Intramuros-based team already showed poise and composure in the first canto, but the board favored Arellano, 14-15.
Letran struggled with their offense in the 2nd frame, as the first half ended with the team only hacking 27% of field goals while committing 11 turnovers.
AU still showed control during the early parts of the third, but Paraiso’s lay-up during the 2:39 mark enabled the Knights to cut the deficit to a single point.
Fran Yu then followed up with a fantastic triple to reclaim the lead, and baskets from Reyson and Javillonar sealed the third quarter, 43-39.
Arellano tried to chase victory in their favor with Cade Flores pulling a highlight slam dunk, but his efforts were brushed off as Caralipio already keyed the payoff period, backstopped by another Paraiso lay-in to add insult to the woes of the Chiefs.
Flores top-scored the Chiefs with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, followed by Josua Abastillas and Danielle Mallari, who registered 8 and 7 points, respectively.
Coach Bonnie applauded King Caralipio's performance “Consistent Si King sa both ends of the floor from offense and yon sa rebounding department”.
“Masayang, masaya ako for King na nagmature yung laro niya sa last Season", he adds.
Letran will next clash with San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 3 PM.
BOX SCORE:
Letran 65 — Caralipio 13, Yu 12, Paraiso 10, Reyson 8, Javillonar 7, Sangalang 6, Santos 4, Monje 2, Olivario 2, Ariar 1, Tolentino 0, Go 0, Guarino 0.
Arellano 53 — Flores 15, Abastillas 8, Mallari 7, Doromal 6, Menina 5, Oliva 4, Oftana 3, Mantua 3, Sunga 2, Tolentino 0, Talampas 0.
Quarters: 14-15, 26-33, 43-39, 65-53.