SLU steals UB victory in NBTC league

RUBEN Baltazar scored a game winning trey as Saint Louis University - Magnolia stole the victory from rival University of Baguio - Victory Liner, 78-76, at the close of the eliminations in the National Basketball Training Center Inter-City tournament.

Baltazar drilled a difficult 18-footer with 11.23 seconds left despite the pressure being applied by a UB defender and arrange a title showdown in the 18 and under tournament.

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Baltazar finished the game with 17 points including the clutch game winning triple while Tyrone Mendoza added 17 points to arrange a title showdown between Victory Liner and Magnolia slated later this week.

Victory Liner was up by six points, 70-76, after breaking a 70 all marker with less than two minutes left in the ball game courtesy of back-to-back triples by Carlo John Siobal and Ian Bernal. Siobal led UB with 15 and Bernal adding 12 points.

SLU then answered with a quick two of its own coming from Charlon Trinidad to trail by four with 57.71 seconds left, 72-76. The Magnolia squad then followed it up with a Mendoza triple to pull the game to within one, 77-78, UB ahead with 28.4 seconds remaining in the ball game.

In the ensuing play, UB - Victory was called for a five second violation right after their time out turning the ball over to SLU - Magnolia with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Mendoza then found Baltazar at the corner of the court despite the defensive pressure applied by the Victory squad.

Baltazar then uncorked the game-winning basket, which brought all spectators to their feet including SLU's bench at the Cordillera Career Development College Sunday afternoon.

UB's Bernal then failed to convert a basket in the last ten seconds of the ball game and suffered their first defeat after a clean 5 - 0 start going into Sunday's final elimination game.

Trinidad added 10 points for the SLU - Magnolia cause while Sherwin Delos Santos chipped in 14 points.

UB - Victory was led by Siobal's 15 while Bernal had 12 points.

Earlier, Baguio City National High School - BMEG trounced Mt. Carmel Burlington, 86-68 with three B-MEG players scoring in double digits led by Jervy Calivo who fired 14 points while Larry Millet and John Dela Cruz added 13 and 12 points.

Jefferson Baldo and Jonathan Yaranon had ten points each for Mt. Carmel.