The second round of #NCAA100 may have only just begun, but a playoff-esque atmosphere is starting to surround the league’s centennial season. The Final Four race has gotten tighter, with the Blazers and the Cardinals leading the pack with ten wins apiece.
Read about each team’s performance in this fifth edition of the NCAA Week in Review.
(G46) Letran vs LPU
LPU won, 91-68. The Pirates dominated the boards and controlled the pace all game long en route to a 23-point drubbing of the Knights.
Scoring league-leader Ato Barba dropped 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals for another all-around showing. JM Bravo’s successful return after a spine injury was also a welcome sight for the Pirates who began their #NCAA100 on a high note.
(G47) Perpetual vs EAC
EAC won, 78-70. The Generals took down a struggling Perpetual Altas squad and claimed their first back-to-back wins in #NCAA100, with King Gurtiza leading the march with 21 points, two boards, two dimes, and two steals.
(G48) San Beda vs Arellano
San Beda won, 79-65. The Red Lions’ hot shooting and paint domination were pivotal in avenging their first round loss to the Chiefs.
Highly touted big man Bismarck Lina, only in his third game this season after sitting out due to an injury, instantly proved that he’s a force to reckon with. He claimed his first BPG honors this season following a 20 point-7 rebound performance.
(G49) Mapúa vs JRU
Mapúa won, 75-71. The Heavy Bombers might have posed a challenge, but the Cardinals stayed composed in crunch time to take down JRU, powered by a breakout game by Yam Concepcion who scattered 19 points, nine boards, and five swats.
(G50) Perpetual vs Letran
Perpetual won, 71-61. After a heartbreaker against EAC, the Altas bounced back with a resounding 10-point victory over the Letran Knights. Squad captain Christian Pagaran (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block) starred for Perpetual as the Altas added to Letran’s woes.
(G51) DLS-CSB vs San Sebastian
DLS-CSB won, 91-85. It was another day at the office for the dominant Benilde Blazers. Ian Torres was adjudged the player of the game, dropping 13 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists to prevent a familiar late game fightback by the ever-resilient San Sebastian Stags.
(G52) LPU vs San Beda
LPU won, 64-62. Fleet captain Greg Cunanan detonated two three-point bombs in the clutch to tow the Pirates past the defending champions in a slugfest that would add momentum to their surging #NCAA100 campaign.
(G53) EAC vs Mapúa
Mapúa won, 82-79. While Clint Escamis, who tallied 23 markers, six rebounds, and two dimes, proved yet again why he’s the reigning NCAA Most Valuable Player, it was his comrade Cyrus Cuenco’s late game heroics that sealed the win for the Cardinals in a highly physical contest against EAC.
(G54) Arellano vs DLS-CSB
DLS-CSB won, 100-77. Talk about all-around efficiency. Blazers rookie Gab Cometa torched the Chiefs with 23 points in only 14 minutes of action, shooting three out of four from long distance as Benilde blew out their first round tormentors and delivered a 100-piece for the second time in #NCAA100.
(G55) JRU vs San Sebastian
San Sebastian won, 87-85. Paeng Are came up with another offensive masterclass to lead the Stags to a tough win against the Heavy Bombers. The high-scoring guard racked up 28 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished three assists in their third dub in #NCAA100.
(G56) San Beda vs Perpetual
San Beda won, 57-53. San Beda had to bank on Yukien Andrada’s 21 points to hold off the Altas in a low-scoring affair, as the defending champs notched their eighth victory in #NCAA100.
(G57) Mapúa vs Letran
Mapúa won, 86-78. Mapúa would win their third game in a row as they remained spotless in the second round of #NCAA100 after taking down a depleted Letran squad.
Rookie sensation Chris Hubilla flirted with a triple-double, finishing with an impressive statline of 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine dimes.
(G58) Arellano vs LPU
Arellano won, 91-86. JL Capulong looked like an unstoppable force in the paint when he dropped a career-high 30 points on top of 16 huge rebounds to give the Chiefs their fourth win of the season.
The game took an unfortunate turn after an accidental collision between Renzo Abiera and JM Bravo that knocked the LPU forward unconscious. After being rushed to the hospital, and while the entire NCAA community prayed for his speedy recovery, Bravo himself confirmed with the Management Committee that he had felt better after being given immediate medical care.
(G59) San Sebastian vs EAC
EAC won, 101-94. It is high time that we call this guy the King General. King Gurtiza, the third best scorer in the NCAA as of writing, dropped a career-best 27 markers to command the EAC offensive against San Sebastian. They also became only the second team in #NCAA100 to score at least 100 points in a single game.
(G60) DLS-CSB vs JRU
DLS-CSB won, 80-65. Mighty Allen Liwag (12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists) powered the Blazers as they handily defeated the Heavy Bombers. Benilde secured their tenth win in #NCAA100, maintaining a strong hold of the top spot.
(G61) Mapúa vs San Beda
Mapúa won, 58-55. Round two of this rematch classic went Mapúa’s way. The Cardinals got their much-needed redemption win against the Red Lions, snapping a three-game losing skid to the defending champs since their finals duel last season. Chris Hubilla starred anew with 17 points and nine boards.
TEAM STANDINGS
- 10-2 Benilde Blazers
- 10-3 Mapúa Cardinals
- 8-5 San Beda Red Lions
- 6-6 LPU Pirates
- 6-6 EAC Generals
- 6-6 Letran Knights
- 5-7 Perpetual Altas
- 4-8 Arellano Chiefs
- 3-9 JRU Heavy Bombers
- 3-9 San Sebastian Stags
IMPACT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Chris Hubilla
Winning the Collegiate Press Corps Player of the Week honors in a stacked NCAA league– midway your rookie year, no less– is no easy feat, but Chris Hubilla barged in like he’s no newcomer.
And that’s what great players do. They make difficult things look easy. The rookie sensation from Bulan, Sorsogon normed 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in four games from October 11 to 20, helping the Cardinals to an unblemished 4-0 tally during that span.
With 10 wins and three losses, Hubilla and the Mapúa Cardinals are entering Week 6 of the NCAA Season 100 with a strong hold of the second spot, only behind the top-seeded Benilde Blazers (10-2).
King Gurtiza
‘King General’ makes for a witty but convenient wordplay if you have King as your name and you happen to play for EAC. But for 6-foot guard King Gurtiza, the label is a hard-earned badge that is founded on his unwavering faith and relentless hard work.
After bagging the #NCAA100 Player of the Week award mid-October, Gurtiza continued his stellar play for Coach Jerson Cabiltes’ squad– averaging 20.7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.3 dimes per contest in three outings to command the Generals to two wins against a loss between October 11 and 20.
Bismarck Lina
The San Beda Red Lions had tempered expectations about Bismarck Lina’s return after a nine-month hiatus due to an ACL injury, but his immediate impact was more than welcome at the lions’ den.
In only his third game this season, Lina impressed the San Beda faithful with a 20 point-7 rebound performance against Arellano that gave him his first best player of the game nod in #NCAA100.
Though still far from his ideal shape, the 6-foot-five big man– with week five averages of 11.7 points and six rebounds– looks to be a promising project for Coach Yuri Escueta as the Red Lions’ bid for a second straight championship deepens.
