Navigators ground Cardinals to stay unscathed
SAINT Louis University Navigators held University of Baguio Cardinal to only three points in the final six minutes of the ball game to pull off a huge victory in the ongoing men’s basketball of the Baguio – Benguet Educational Athletic League season 31.
The Navigators punctuated a 75 – 67 victory Friday afternoon at the SLU Prince Bernhard gymnasium after trailing by as high as 11 in the opening canto.
Shawn Aquisay’s late game heroics catapulted SLU to its first victory against UB in recent years after trailing the Cardinals by three at the end of the third pe-
riod, 53 – 56.
The Cardinals made it a five point affair, 53 -59, with 8:33 remaining in the ball game and maintained the lead at 59 -64, with 6:17 left in the payoff canto.
Aquisay and the rest of the Navigators slowly chopped the Cardinals advantage tying the ball game at 64 all with3:41 left in the fourth period on a two for two free throw shooting by Aquisay.
The Navigators wrest the lead on a Jonas Rei Gesmundo jumper for a 66 – 64 count with 3:05 remaining as SLU, courtesy of Aquisay piled up the much needed point and enjoy a 74 – 64 advantage with 30 seconds remaining.
UB however won’t go down without a fight as John Erick Victorio scored a triple to put the Cardinals within seven, 74 – 67, with 29.9 seconds left.
It was the last hurrah however for the many time BBEAL men’s basketball champion as it suffered its first defeat in two games while SLU remains unbeaten in two starts.
Aquisay lead all scorers with 17 markers while three Navigators had 10 points each coming from Mark Christian Mondina, Garth Ezekiel Talusig and Jed Aione Barrientos.
SLU took an earlier 6 -2 advantage in the opening canto but the Cardinals fired back with a 19 – 4 run to enjoy a 20 – 21 lead with 2:45 remaining in the quarter.
The Cardinals were up by six at the close of the opening quarter, 16 - 22 and was only ahead by two at halftime, 36 -38.
Christian Danille Abo top scored for the Cardinals with 13 markers while Cedric Tolentino added 10 points with Omer Afzal Baluch chipping in eight points.