Cagayan Valley takes early lead

Pinto, the ace guard of the Arellano University Chiefs in the NCAA tournament, led the Suns with 23 points, five assists and two steals. The competition got so heated between Pinto and his Chiefs teammates that at one point, he and Levi Hernandez were slapped with a technical foul each for a verbal altercation late in the third canto.
Nevertheless, the win propelled the Suns to their third straight win, giving them the solo leadership in the standings this early in the tournament. Led by Pinto, the Suns broke the game wide open in the third canto where they doubled their precarious seven-point halftime lead, 74-60.
Don Trollano, Andrian Celada and John Foronda all provided key numbers as they chipped in 17, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Air21, which fell to 0-2 (win-loss) was led by the 17 points of Cebuano two-guard Moncrief Rogado, a former standout of the University of Cebu Webmasters./Correspondent Jonas Panerio