Team captain Ry Dela Rosa rediscovered his old form, hitting timely triples to steer Jose Rizal University to a 79-72 win against San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the NCAA Season 99 on Friday.
Dela Rosa put together a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 from the three-point area laced with four rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
The Heavy Bombers bounced back from an overtime loss to Lyceum last Tuesday to improve to 7-4 and claim solo fourth spot while the Stags dropped their fourth straight game to go 3-8.
Dela Rosa, who missed a number of games in the first round, knocked down a triple to kill San Sebastian's momentum late in the third and give JRU a 53-44 lead. Agem Miranda then shot a long bomb at the buzzer to bring the Heavy Bombers to a 64-53 cushion.
Raymart Escobido and Romel Calahat continued to rally the Stags, cutting the deficit to eight, 64-72, before the graduating Dela Rosa buried another three.
Escobido then converted two consecutive baskets to power an 8-0 run and slice the gap to five but Dela Rosa answered with a three-pointer to give JRU a 78-72 advantage with 33 seconds left.
To put the finishing kick, Dela Rosa split his freebies as JRU cruised to its seventh win, tying its win output last season.
The win also served as a revenge of sorts for JRU after absorbing a 72-59 loss to San Sebastian in the first round.
Theo Pabico listed nine points while Vince Sarmiento and Jonathan Medina chipped in 10 markers apiece. Veteran guard JL Delos Santos had an all-around outing of seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Scores:
JRU 79- Dela Rosa 19, Pabico 9, Sarmiento 8, Medina 8, Delos Santos 7, Argente 7, Miranda 6, Guiab 6, De Leon 4, Arenal 3, Mosqueda 2, Ramos 0, Sy 0.
SSC-R 72- Calahat 20, Re. Gabat 12, Are 10, Una 10, Escobido 9, De Leon 4, Castor 3, Felebrico 2, Sumoda 2, Desoyo 0, Shanoda 0, Ra. Gabat 0.
Quarterscores: 25-15; 40-29; 64-53; 79-72.
—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News
