UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System DALTA made short work of Jose Rizal University, 77-56, to earn its first win in the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament on Tuesday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
Coach Myk Saguiguit, who took over from Frankie Lim during the Covid-19 pandemic, was surprised with the way his Altas performed in their season opener.
“I didn’t expect the result, maybe it’s because of the players getting excited to finally play after two years,” Saguiguit said. “It’s the players’ effort—its their chemistry and their relationship with the coaches.”
Veteran Kim Aurin came through with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists while Jeff Egan finally made his debut for Perpetual Help and finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Sophomore Jielo Razon was solid in orchestrating plays for the Altas with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. He had a game-high +27 efficiency inside the court.
Saguiguit said he hopes that his team gets better as the tournament progresses.
“It’s a short season, every game counts,” he said. “The struggle is on the players getting a rest because of the compact schedule.”
JM Delos Santos led the Heavy Bombers with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals while rookie Jason Celis added 11 points.
