Philippine collegiate sports returned to regular programming on September 7, signaled by the NCAA toasting to 100 revolutions around the sun of establishment. As per tradition, the historic season was opened by none other than the men’s basketball tournament.
OPENING EXTRAVAGANZA
The National Collegiate Basketball Association (NCAA) kicked off the year-long celebration of its centennial season on Saturday before a packed crowd at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
The Lyceum of the Philippines University, this year’s hosts, ceremoniously opened the NCAA Season 100 with a brief but emphatic welcome chant delivered by LPU President Atty. Roberto P. Laurel.
Leading the ceremonies were the esteemed members of the NCAA Policy Board, the NCAA Management Committee, as well as GMA Integrated News, Regional TV and Synergy Senior Vice President and Head Oliver Victor B. Amoroso. Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara also graced the event.
The opening festivities featured performances by SB19’s Justin De Dios and P-pop girl group sensation G22, who happen to be the main trio behind the season’s official theme song “Own The Future.”
Themed “Siglo Uno: Inspiring Legacies,” the NCAA made sure to spend a tributary moment during its opening salvo: a segment that honored 10 notable sports icons (year 2000 onwards) that are proud products of the NCAA.
The awarded athletes were SBU’s Baser Amer (Basketball, Represented by Yukien Andrada), JRU’s Mark Harry A. Diones (Track & Field), CSJL’s Rafael Joey Q. Jazul, Jr. (Basketball), MU’s Adrian Clarence Nocum (Basketball), SSC-R’s Allyn Bulanadi (Basketball), UPHSD’ Louie Ramirez (Volleyball), DLS-CSB’s Ryan Jacolo (Table Tennis), AU’s Regine Arocha (Volleyball), EAC’s Sidney Onwubere (Basketball), and LPU’s CJ Perez (Basketball).
The event was hosted by Martin Javier, Lexi Gonzales, Faith Da Silva, and Michael Sager.
F4 REMATCH ON OPENING DAY
(G1) San Beda vs LPU
San Beda won, 79-63. Bryan Sajonia’s NCAA debut was highly impressive but reasonably expected, to say the least. He scored 18 points and grabbed 5 boards en route to a fitting start to their title defense campaign.
(G2) DLS-CSB vs Mapuá
DLS-CSB won, 78-65. Allen Liwag showed that he’s deserving of the hype and anticipation, posting a monster double-double, 23 points and 18 rebounds together with three blocks. BPG Winston Ynot also made clutch baskets with a total output of nine points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
SEPTEMBER 9-15 GAMES
(G3) San Sebastian vs Letran
San Sebastian won, 91-84. Paeng Are kicked off what would eventually become a talk-of-the-town- the first episode of the "Paeng Are Show" that highlighted his individual dominance. Are’s masterful 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists helped the Stags overcome the Knights in a tightly contested match.
(G4) EAC vs Arellano
EAC won, 87-80. King Gurtiza commanded the Generals’ offensive to topple the mighty Arellano Chiefs in overtime. The team captain from La Union scored 18 points, grabbed four rebounds, and had three dimes.
(G5) Perpetual vs JRU
Perpetual won, 82-65. Mark Gojo Cruz showed no rookie jitters in his seniors basketball debut, proving that he is already force to be reckoned with for Coach Olsen Racela in Season 100. He scattered 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead the Altas to their first win.
(G6) DLS-CSB vs San Beda
DLS-CSB won, 70-65. Jhomel Ancheta drained two clutch threes– one late in the fourth and another in overtime– on his way to a team-high 14 points as the Blazers won a close one against the defending champions.
(G7) San Sebastian vs LPU
San Sebastian won, 95-93. A strong early start for the Stags after escaping the LPU Pirates by the skin of their teeth and winning their second straight game on the back of yet another heroic performance by Paeng Are. Dubbed the 'Paeng Are Show Ep02,' the ferocious point guard filled up the stat sheet with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals.
(G8) Mapua vs EAC
Mapua won, 69-66. Hot-handed rookie Lawrence Mangubat sizzled for 15 points off five three-pointers to steer the Cardinals to a bounce-back win in Season 100. Reigning Rookie-MVP Clint Escamis and veteran forward JC Recto also had impressive showings, chipping in 10 and 12 points, respectively.
(G9) Letran vs JRU
Letran won, 70-62. BPG Jimboy Estrada knew exactly what to do after a disappointing first game. He tallied 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, including a pair of sweet-looking middies in the clutch.
(G10) Perpetual vs Arellano
Perpetual won, 69-67. Mark Gojo Cruz won his second straight best player of the game honors following a 20-point outing to go along with three rebounds, three steals, and two assists, as the Altas survived a fourth quarter scare by the Chiefs.
(G11) San Beda vs San Sebastian
San Beda won, 85-75. Yukien Andrada’s stable and reliable presence in the middle paved the way for the Red Lions to score a 10-point win over the streaking Stags. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds. In an interview with GMA Regional TV and Synergy, he said that aggressiveness and defensive adjustments were key in preventing a formidable Stags squad to upstage them.
(G12) DLS-CSB vs EAC
DLS-CSB won, 77-55. It was an all-around effort by the entire Blazers unit that propelled them to a resounding 22-point victory over the gutsy Generals, but it was Justin Sanchez’ 14 points and 6 rebounds that seemed most material for Coach Charles Tiu’s squad.
(G13) LPU vs JRU
LPU won, 95-92. A game-winning three by John ‘Ato’ Barba got the host school’s faithful in attendance on their feet as they scored their first win in the NCAA Season 100. Barba finished with 28 points, five rebounds, and three assists, to help the Pirates keep the Heavy Bombers winless.
(G14) Mapua vs Perpetual
Mapua won, 71-65. Reigning Rookie-MVP Clint Escamis registered a new scoring career-high after firing 28 points to deal the Altas their first loss in NCAA100. His shooting prowess was in full effect from start to finish, nothing bigger than his two huge triples in the crucial stages of the game.
STANDINGS (as of September 16, 2024)
- 3-0 Benilde Blazers
- 2-1 San Beda Red Lions
- 2-1 San Sebastian Stags
- 2-1 Mapua Cardinals
- 2-1 Perpetual Altas
- 1-1 Letran Knights
- 1-2 EAC Generals
- 1-2 LPU Pirates
- 0-2 Arellano Chiefs
- 0-3 JRU Heavy Bombers
IMPACT PLAYERS
The NCAA Player of the Week honors was awarded to DLS-CSB’s Allen Liwag, whose towering presence in the paint was paramount to the Blazers’ 3-0 start.
He averaged close to 16 rebounds to go along with 14 points a contest. He is also the league’s leading shot blocker with 2.67.
His dominant showing, however, was not the only reason for the Blazers’ speedy start. In fact, Liwag was never adjudged the best player in any of DLS-CSB’s wins thus far– the three being Winston Ynot, Jhomel Ancheta, and Justine Sanchez, in particular order.
Winston Ynot, despite being a guard, averaged 6.3 boards, good for 10th overall in the league in total rebounds. He is also second, only behind Paeng Are, in total assists.
Rafael 'Paeng' Are was a man on a mission in Week 1, and it looked like he’s just getting started. Paeng scored 30 and 25 in the Stags’ first two games, and still had a solid performance against the Red Lions in a losing effort.
Are averaged 21.33 points per game– eight of which routinely coming from the freethrow line. He only needed approximately 2.3 more dishes per contest to have averaged a double-double as he also normed north of 7.5 assists.
Mark Gojo Cruz, in his first three games, already proved that he is a super rookie in the making. The former Junior Alta averaged 17.3 points a game, and went perfect from the charity stripe (8/8).
His fearless drives, impressive court feel, and smarts in the clutch made him look like a veteran hooper in his rookie year. He led the Altas to a 2-0 start, before falling a close one to the Cardinals.
He was also third in the league in terms of total threes made, next only to NCAA vets John Barba and Yukien Andrada.
