University of Perpetual Help escaped the late barrage of Arellano and eked out a 69-67 squeaker on Friday, Sept. 13, for the early share of the lead in NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The Altas squandered a 55-43 double-digit lead late in the third but held their composure in the crunch to snare their second straight win in as many games and join the College of St. Benilde Blazers and the San Sebastian Stags at the helm.

Mark Gojo Cruz paced Perpetual with 20 points spiked by four triples, while John Boral chipped in 11 points including a booming trey in the last 48.3 seconds that gave them enough cushion, 68-65.

But the Chiefs refused to go down without a fight, with Greg Borromeo draining a jumper with 29.8 ticks left to trim their deficit to just one, 68-67.

Arellano had the chance to grab the win after drawing a crucial foul in the last 3.2 seconds, but Cyril Hernal failed to convert the two pressure-packed free throws.

Christian Pagaran stepped up with 10 points for Perpetual, which grabbed 19 second-chance points.

Arellano stepped on the gas with 18 fastbreak points, but could not convert when it mattered most.

The Chiefs absorbed their second straight defeat despite Jerico Camay and Hernal scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively.