Letran survived a rollercoaster ride in the payoff period and eked out a 77-69 win against a gritty San Sebastian side in the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
King Caralipio backstopped the Knights balanced attack with 13 points and eight rebounds while Louie Sangalang, who was fresh from a two-game suspension, came back strong with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
"It's big win coming from back-to-back losses," said Letran head coach Bonnie Tan "So sa lahat ng mga coaches na nakaka-experience ng talo pag naka-recover tayo sa isang game talagang masaya at nakakagaan ng pakirandam."
Letran led most of the game but fourth quarter saw a different side from San Sebastian as Raymart Escobido and Romel Calahat connived to put the match within striking distance.
After Brent Paraiso, who was also returning from a two-game suspension like Sangalang, sparked the Knights' offense with back-to-back triples, the Stags came alive and cut the deficit down to three only, 70-67, in the last two minutes.
But a Louie Sangalang basket and a clutch three from Kurt Reyson enabled Letran to keep San Sebastian at bay and maintain an eight-point lead, 75-67, with 21 seconds to go.
The Stags are not about to give up though as Escobido showed a glimmer of hope with two free throws but he missed two triples that could have made it a one-ball possession.
Yu showed steely nerves and iced the game with a pair of free throws with 5.5 ticks left for the win as Letran bounced back from two losses and improved to a 4-3 record.
Rafael Go finished with 11 points while Paraiso, who made two key threes midway through the fourth quarter, delivered 11 points as well along with four rebounds and three assists.
Kobe Monje had 10 points and three rebounds while Yu, despite struggling on a 2-of-7 shooting clip, made up with an all-around performance of nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Escobido spearheaded the Stags, who fell to a 2-4 slatw, with 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists while Calahat hammered down 17 points and seven rebounds.