MANILA — It was a finish for the ages. Jose Rizal University’s Ivan Panapanaan stunned the crowd with a buzzer-beating layup that sealed a dramatic 79–77 win over the Arellano University Chiefs in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
With the score knotted in the dying seconds, Arellano’s King Vinoya missed a jumper that could have given the Chiefs the lead. JRU’s Sean Salvador grabbed the rebound and sprinted in transition, spotting Panapanaan streaking to the basket. With just fractions of a second left, Panapanaan’s desperation shot rolled in as time expired, sending the Heavy Bombers bench into a frenzy.
“Tendency ko na lang, makuha ‘yung rebound, tatakbo na ako kasi kita ko ‘yung oras, paubos na rin,” Panapanaan recalled. “‘Yon, buti na lang nakita ako ni [Sean] Salvador para ipasa sa akin. ‘Yung pagtira ko na ‘yon, naramdaman ko ‘yung pulikat ko.”
The forward, who tallied four points, six rebounds, five blocks, two assists, and a steal, said the game-winner was extra special.
“Buti na lang, sumakto sa oras. ‘Yon ‘yung pinakagusto ko eh — lalo na ako ‘yung nakapag-shoot sa dulo para ipanalo, at laban pa sa dati kong school,” he said.
Veteran guard Shawn Argente paced JRU with 20 points, 15 of which came in the first half, while Salvador added 19 points on 50 percent shooting. Rookie Allan Laurenaria chipped in 12 off the bench, and Stephen Garupil also scored 10 for the Heavy Bombers, who improved to 5–4.
“Nabanggit ko naman sa kanila, whatever happens, babalik at babalik sa amin ‘yung bola,” said JRU head coach Nani Epondulan. “Actually, hindi na coach ‘yun — sa players na ‘yun.”
Joseph Hernal led Arellano with 17 points, followed by Renzo Abiera with 15, while Ernest Geronimo and Vinoya added 14 and 11, respectively, as the Chiefs dropped to 3–6./PN
