University of Perpetual Help picked up its first win in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League Aspirants’ Cup with 65-48 rout of Milas Lechon on Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Altas practically dominated the game from the get go and led by as many as 20 points.
In contrast, Jose Rizal University (JRU) needed to keep its poise for down the stretch to survive Go for Gold, 104-103, in an intense endgame.
Go for Gold held a 103-105 lead before JRU went to Paolo Pontejos who delivered the winning basket on a driving lay-up with .7 seconds left.
Mark de la Virgen scattered 28 points, Pontejos tallied 20 and the two of them combined for 10 assists to give rookie Coach Gio Lasquety his second straight win.
Justin Gutang scored 26 points, and Matt Salem added 25 for Go for Gold, which evened its record to 1-1.
Perpetual led by only four when Rey Peralta sparked an 11-2 run bridging the first and second quarters for a 10-point advantage. The Altas enjoyed a 42-28 lead at the halftime break.
Coach Frankie Lim downplayed his team’s defensive effort and said, “We just tried to be decent on our defense.”
Perpetual limited Mila’s Lechon to a paltry 28-percent clip from the field.
“We’re still working on it. Bago pa lang kami na nagsasama. It will take time before we become a good defensive team, but all I ask is for our defense to be decent,” Lim said.
“Little by little, they’re settling down. I just want them to execute. I told them that I don’t care who scores. Ang importante sa akin, maka-score kami.”
Nigerian big man Prince Eze towered over the competition with 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
Kim Aurin uncorked 12 markers and two boards off the bench, while John Rey Villanueva had nine for Perpetual, which bounced back from an 83-70 defeat against Che’Lu Bar and Grill-San Sebastian last week.
The Altas were also buoyed by their 8-of-19 three-point shooting in the game.
Ken Acibar led the Mighty Roasters with 14 points and three rebounds. Axel Iñigo had 13 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals for Mila’s Lechon which fell to its second straight defeat.