The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars hung around for much of the game but ultimately crumbled when the going got tough and suffered their second loss in a row in a 58-75 defeat at the hands of the league-leading Jose
Rizal University Heavy Bombers in Group A action in the 2015 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup yesterday at the Arena, San Juan City.
Still seething from the lopsided loss that they suffered at the hands of Letran in their first taste of action in this prestigious preseason competition, the Jaguars pounced on the tired Heavy Bombers and established a 10-point advantage early on, 12-2.
But JRU got its act together and was only down by four, 16-20, heading to the second canto.
The Bombers eventually tied the game at 22-all after two freebies by Jordan dela Paz and held a 33-32 lead at the turn.
While the third remained a nip-and-tuck battle, JRU finally surged ahead in the final frame as it took advantage of USJ-R’s shaky ball handling with a frenetic full-court press that resulted in seven straight points by Paolo Pontejos that pushed its lead to double-figures, 56-45.
The Bombers did not let up and finished the game strong behind dela Paz who logged in seven unanswered points to build a 21-point lead, 71-48, en route to getting their third win in a row.
Dela Paz finished the match with a game-high 21 points while Pontejos added 13. USJ-R was led by the 17 of Miguel Gastador while Kevin Villafranca managed 11.