USJ-R Jaguars stumble against Letran Knights

Placed in the middle of a battlefield the likes of which most of them have never waged war at before, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) played like a fish out of  the water in a 66-89 loss at the hands of the Letran Knights in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup Monday  at the Arena in San Juan City.
Playing for the first time in this prestigious preseason tournament, the Jaguars struggled to find their form, fell behind early and never caught up until the final buzzer to get their campaign off to an ignominious start.
However, they won’t have to wait for too long to get redemption as they take on the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers tomorrow.
“We need to grow as a team. Play as a team. We had a lot of lapses,” said Jaguars’ point guard Roy Villarias, who found himself back in Manila where he used to play as a member of the University of the East Red Warriors.
“There were too many turnovers,” said sophomore wingman Iron Suano, who led the Jaguars with 15 points.   Kevin Villafranca added 13 while Fletcher Galvez punched in 10.
Rising star Rey Nambatac asserted himself early as he masterfully orchestrated the Knights’ offense to push them in front, 15-6, early in the first. That, coupled with Letran’s suffocating full-court pressure defense in the second canto proved to be a tricky puzzle for USJ-R to figure out as they fell behind, 30-51, at halftime.
Things turned from bad to worse in the third as the Knights went on a 10-0 blast that saw Rey Publico manhandle his defenders down low to get six in that stretch.
The lead eventually reached a high of 30, 73-43, as the scoring avalanche continued for the Knights until the  end.
Nambatac and Jerrick Balanza finished with 15 apiece for Letran, who are trying to make it back to the NCAA’s elite after suffering through a losing season last year.