The Arellano University Chiefs took control in the second quarter and never looked back, cruising to an 82-66 victory over the San Sebastian Stags on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Renzo Abiera led the charge with 19 points as the Chiefs notched their first win in Group A after two outings.
Abiera sparked a decisive third-quarter run, scoring seven straight points before dishing out an assist to Maverick Vinoya, who buried a three-pointer that stretched Arellano’s lead to 60-45 with 5:37 left in the period.
“Sometimes, it’s not about having many wins right away. It’s about winning at the right time — when the hard work finally pays off,” said new Chiefs head coach Chico Manabat.
The Chiefs broke away from a 23-all deadlock in the second period, building a 35-25 advantage in the final 6:18 behind the aggressive plays of King Vinoya.
In the juniors’ division, the Arellano University Braves also dominated, riding on the big games of Chris Dy, Rey Ladica, and Sean Franco to rout the San Sebastian Staglets, 92-61.
The Braves bounced back from a close 80-83 defeat to Mapúa last Saturday. Dy led the way with a game-high 18 points as Arellano improved to 1-1 in Group A, while the Staglets fell to 0-2.
The Braves seized control early, taking a 21-18 lead at the end of the opening quarter. A 12-4 run sparked by John Baluyot and Aaron Manansala widened the gap to 35-22 midway through the second period — a lead they never relinquished.
