JOSE Rizal University overcame a late meltdown with clutch plays down the stretch and edged San Sebastian College 21-20 yesterday to emerge as the NCAA Season 99 seniors 3×3 basketball champion at the JRU Gym.
Vince Sarmiento hit a free throw that sealed the win and the crown for the host school, which swept all its six games–four in the group stages and a 21-12 win over San Beda in the semifinals.
The win was the Bombers’ third title in the sport after ruling the Under-18 section twice before the pandemic.
The Kalentong-based dribblers, whose other players were Joshua Guiab, Karl de Jesus and eventual season MVP Jonathan Medina, almost blew a 12-9 lead, seeing it reduced to 17-20 after SSC shooter Ralph Gabat’s five-point eruption.
JRU fought back and shut down SSC-R the rest of the way while Guiab strung together three points in a row that paved the way for that title-clinching foul shot by Sarmiento.
