University of Perpetual Help System DALTA made sure to end its campaign with a win, staging a wild 86-82 come-from-behind escape against Jose Rizal University on Tuesday in the NCAA Season 100.
The ALTAs stormed back from a 21-point deficit to close out their centennial season run with a 7-11 win-loss record while the Heavy Bombers slipped to 4-13 with one game left in their schedule.
"'Yung nakalagay sa board kasi namin [was] we want to end the season the right way. Although 'yung first half, all wrong things happened, I think 'yung second half doon kami...," Perpetual coach Olsen Racela said.
"I actually challenged them nu'ng halftime, tinanong ko kung ito ba 'yung character ng team natin. And I think they responded and showed the true character of this team."
Things didn't go Perpetual's way in the first half as the ALTAs allowed JRU to convert six triples on the way to building a 56-39 halftime lead behind the 15 points from Shawn Argente.
But the wards of Racela flipped the switch in the second half to turn the tables against the Heavy Bombers.
They opened the final canto with an 18-5 rampage instigated by John Abis, Angelo Gelsano, Mark Gojo Cruz, and JP Boral as they forced a 73-all deadlock.
Big man Joshua Guiab tried to rally JRU back, tying the game again at 78-all before a corner three-pointer from Boral and a split from Gojo Cruz sent Perpetual to an 82-78 cushion in the final 32.8 seconds.
Guiab knocked down a huge triple, 82-84, but Gojo Cruz calmly sank his two freebies to ice the game.
Boral top-scored with 22 points alongside five rebounds, two steals, and one assist while Abis chipped in 15 markers, seven dimes, and four boards. Gelsano and Gojo Cruz each posted 14 points with the latter also grabbing eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Argente, who was lmited to just three points in the second half, tallied 18 point while Guiab finished with 17 markers, three rebounds, and one assist.
—JMB/JKC, GMA Integrated News
