The Letran Knights continue to stay undefeated for the 2019 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup as they down the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 76-69, last Sunday, May 12 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Knights made sure that they sufficed for the absence of Jerrick Balanza, who was suffering from a strained left knee. King Caralipio performed for Letran at 12 points and eight rebounds, while teammate Renato Ular had 10 points and six rebounds. Larry Muyang contributed eight points and nine rebounds, Tommy Olivario had nine points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Jap Pambid had eight in total.
In the words of Knights’ head coach Bonnie Tan, “We are happy because our sacrifices in practice was worth it. Plus, we got a win in exchange.” He added, “I am very happy with the way the boys responded. We will need everyone’s contributions if we want to do well in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association),” concluding, “I’m glad our bench players stepped up in this kind of game. We have a very talented lineup. It’s just more on how we utilize our players.”
Due to their win, Letran is now leading a standing of three wins and 0 losses in Group B.
For NU, it was Issa Gaye from Senegal who led with his big man duties at 14 points and eight rebounds, while teammate Shaun Ildefonso also scored 14. This is NU’s second loss in the season, still searching for a victory.
On the same day, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets conquered Adamson University, 74-71, in the league’s high-school division, with Forthsky Padrigao scoring the crucial last five points, including a three at the last 11 seconds.