Team Heroes and Team Saints battled each other to a 109-109 draw after four quarters in an exciting NCAA Season 97 All-Star Game that featured both collegiate standouts and Kapuso artists on Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Team Heroes took a four-point lead with one and a half minutes remaining but Perpetual’s Kim Aurin and Jielo Razon scored the last four points of the game to force a tie in the endgame.
Lyceum of the Philippines University’s Enoch Valdez, representing Team Heroes, led all scorers with 16 points while also grabbing nine rebounds and blocking one shot. He was named the All-Star Game MVP for his all-around performance.
Chef Jose Sarasola, meanwhile, was the first-ever Celebrity MVP of the GMA-NCAA All-Star Game after he knocked down four three-pointers en route to a team-high 14 points for the Saints.
There were plenty of standout performers in the high-scoring contest.
On the Team Heroes side, Allen Liwag of Emilio Aguinaldo College scored 15 first half points to lead the way early. Mapua's Warren Bonifacio added 13 points and nine rebounds while JRU's JL Delos Santos scored 11 points — all in the fourth quarter — and dished out nine assists.
Their best celebrity performer was Ervic Vijandre, who tallied 10 points.
Team Saints, meanwhile, had a balanced team showing as they only had three players in double figures but saw six others with eight or more points, including NCAA Rookie-MVP Rhenz Abando of Letran and celebrities Rocco Nacino and Pancho Magno.
Aurin finished with 13 points and San Beda's Ralph Penuela had 11 to back up Sarasola.
Team Saints electrified the game early as Saint Benilde's Will Gozum and Abando threw down several dunks in the first half, including a huge 360 slam and an alley-oop finish from the Letran star.
Team Heroes, though, led at the half after a buzzer-beating triple from Ralph Robin of EAC.
The game shifted in the third quarter as Sarasola caught fire, scoring eight straight of Team Saints' points.
Vijandre, though, responded on the other end, making some big plays for Team Heroes. Another celebrity, David Licauco, hit back-to-back buckets as part of a 9-1 run that put the Heroes back ahead.
But Team Saints' celebrity players gave their team a huge lift in the fourth as Sarasola, Magno, Kirst Viray, and Paul Salas combined to score the first nine of their teams' points in the final period.
Both teams went into the endgame, though, fielding mostly NCAA stars, with Team Heroes gaining the upper hand after a Delos Santos layup and a Bonifacio and-one play gave them a 109-105 lead with 1:38 left on the clock.
But Aurin knocked down two free throws, before Team Saints' defense, led by the pressure of Abando, came up with the huge stop that led to two more charities from Razon that tied the game with 32.2 left.
Other celebrities that competed in the game were Mavy Legaspi, Migs Villasis, Luis Hontiveros, Nikki Co, and Jason Abalos for Team Heroes and Gil Cuerva for Team Saints.
The scores:
Team Heroes 109 - Valdez 16, Liwag 15, Bonifacio 13, Delos Santos 11, Vijandre 10, Robin 8, Dionisio 8, Licauco 6, Legaspi 5, Sablan 5, Hernandez 3, Guadana 3, Villasis 2, Hontiveros 2, Co 2, Abalos 0, Oliva 0.
Team Saints 109 - Sarasola 14, Aurin 13, Penuela 11, Razon 9, Abando 9, Nacino 9, Altamirano 8, Gozum 8, Magno 8, Salas 6, Cosari 4, Viray 4, Carlos 3, Andrada 3, Paraiso 0, Cuerva 0.
Quarters: 32-29, 59-56, 85-86, 109-109.
—JMB, GMA News
