Olympians beat Saints 102-82, now solo 2nd

Ramon Mabayo on the drive

Touted as the best power forward pound for pound in the NAASCU, Ramon Mabayo has consistently brought his defensive tenacity to the Olympians on the court and in the process polished his offensive explosiveness. TOday's game is a testimony of that truth as he played his usual defensive game and showed a variety of offensive moves the delight of the Sunday crowd at the PNP Gym in Crame. Mabayo scored a career high 28 points as he led the defending champion STI College Olympians to a 102-82 thrashing of St. Clare College in the resumption of the second round of the NAASCU.

Mike Cabangon, Flight 101

Ably supporting Mabayo were forwards Mike Cabangon, Arnold Danganan and center Darryl Mendoza while guards Jay Aranzaso and Macky Macabasco contributed big numbers for the cause of the Olympians. The first half saw the Saints match the Olympian's strength and speed as Richmond Sibal, Aries Pariñas and Louie Fajardo kept the Saints at bay. They came from ten points down to settle for a 36-40 deficit at the half.

Darryl Mendoza scores two points

At the start of the third quarter, the Saints played solid defense to take the lead 43-42 on a three pointer by Fajardo. Unfortunately, that was a cause for alarm for the Olympians as they gained the momentum once again through hussle plays and their pressure defense worked wonders once again as the Saints were plagued by turnovers, botched plays and ill advised shots. The Olympian's defensive intensity was in full throttle and their offense put on high octane as the Olympians scored 32 points the rest of the way while limiting the Saints to just 14. This worked wonders for the Olympians as they ended the third quarter with a 17 point lead.

Arnold Danganan challenges Richmond Sibal

The fourth quarter was just moot and academic as the Olympians coasted along throught the barreling drives of Jay Aranzaso and the inside presence of Ramon Mabayo. The win put the Olympians in solo second as the San Sebastian Baycats beat the AMACU Titans 106-88 to improve on its league leading 12-2 slate. The Olympians are close behind at 11-3 while AMACU and Saint Clare are a game behind the Olympians at 10-4. The UM Hawks redeemed themselves by beating the Informatics Icons and are two games behind the No.4 slot at 8-6 wins.

Jay Aranzaso scored off steals

The Scores:

STI COLLEGE (102)
Mabayo 28, Aranzaso 19, Cabangon 12, Mendoza 12, Danganan 12, Macabasco 9, Vasallo 4, Sabellina 4, Ihalas 2, Crisostomo 0,

ST. CLARE COLLEGE (82)
Fajardo 18, Pariñas 15, Sibal 12, Opalia 11, P. Coronel 9, Nacianceno 6, Dizon 4, Buquid 3, Role 0, Coronel 0,

Quarterscores 22-19, 40-36, 74-57, 102-82