Games on Wednesday (The Arena in San Juan)
10 a.m. — San Beda vs AUF (Jrs)
12 n.n. — Letran vs EAC (Jrs)
2 p.m. — San Beda vs AUF (Srs)
4 p.m. — Letran vs EAC (Srs)

San Sebastian College and Jose Rizal University came face-to-face for the first time on Monday.

And so were hotshots John Wilson of JRU and Jimbo Aquino of SSC.

Many expected a fierce and emotional battle between the two unbeaten teams.

With the sweet-shooting Aquino getting the better of his marquee duel with the more experienced Wilson, the Stags turned what was expected to be a close battle into a rout, scoring a breezy 91-76 win to grab the solo lead in the NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Though he fouled out in the last three minutes – he was all pumped-up right from the start – Aquino proved one thing – he’s the hottest shooter in the NCAA right now.

Quick and sharp, Aquino uncorked 23 points on 7-of-19 shooting while adding seven rebounds in 33 minutes while Pamboy Raymundo scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half by spearheading a huge third quarter push that made a slim 45-43 halftime lead into a huge 74-54 edge at the end of the third period.

Backstopping the two were big men Ian Sangalang with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Gilbert Bulawan, who had 13 points and five boards.

Point guard Mark Cagoco led JRU with 17 points but muffed 12-of-17 shots from the field. James Sena, who was selected ninth overall by San Miguel Beer in the PBA draft two days ago, made just four of his 14 points in the second half. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double effort.

But a non-factor for the Heavy Bombers all throughout was spitfire Wilson, who finished with only 9 points on 3-of-13 shooting. He averaged 20 points prior to the game.

Earlier, University of Perpetual Help rallied mightily from a 14-point lead in the third quarter to trounce Mapua, 72-71, for its second win.

Raffy Ynion shattered a 70-70 count with 54.9 ticks left but it was their defense that mattered most, giving no room for the Cardinals to make a decent shot.

The Altas improved to 2-5.

“We played good defense in the last quarter. We were lousy in the first half but we got down to our defense and contain their scorers,” said Perpetual head coach Boris Aldeguer.

The lefty Ynion led the Las Pinas-based dribblers with 21 points and eight rebounds while another southpaw rookie guard Chris Elopre tallied 17 points, six rebounds and eight rebounds in 34 minutes of action to tie Emilio Aguinaldo College for seventh spot in the standings.

It was Perpetual's first win over Mapua since a 58-53 triumph over the Kelvin dela Pena-led Cardinals on Aug. 11, 2006, thus ending a four-game losing skid.

First Game (Jrs)
Perpetual 97 — Alolino 24, Jolangcob 19, Brito 13, Onrubia 12, Eriobu 12, Allano 11, Lao 2, Inigo 2, Saldua 1, Garcia 1.
Mapua 89 — Alejandro 24, Basas 21, Sevilla 12, Valdez 12, Castillo 11, Mena 6, de Castro 2, dela Cruz 1, Abad 0.
Quarters: 23-18, 45-47, 73-69, 97-89

Second Game (Jrs)
JRU 93 — Vigil 26, Saret 21, Garcia 21, dela Paz 17, Oliveria 3, Barranco 3, Tanquintic 2, Yasa 0.
San Sebastian 87 — Delgado 29, Jumao-As 24, Ramirez 13, Estrada 11, Laconido 6, Magno 4, Leyva 0, Mendoza 0, de Guzman 0.
Quarters: 19-18, 41-45, 66-69, 93-89.

Third Game (Srs)
Perpetual 72 — Ynion 21, Elopre 17, Salanga 9, Vivero 8, Liaz 7, Carrullo 6, Rono 2, Galabin 2, Hainga 0, Salvado 0.
Mapua 71 — Mangahas 19, Acosta 11, Stevens 11, Pascual 10, Cornejo 8, Ranises 5, Maniego 3, Sarangay 2, Guillermo 2, Parala 0, Espinosa 0.
Quarters: 19-24, 35-38, 58-64, 72-71.

Fourth Game (Srs)
San Sebastian 91 — Aquino 23, Raymundo 17, Sangalang 14, Bulawan 13, Abueva 9, Pascual 6, Najorda 4, Maconocido 2, Semira 2, del Rio 1.
JRU 76 — Cagoco 17, Sena 14, Wilson 9, Njei 8, Agas 7, Hayes 6, Apinan 4, Lopez 4, Kabigting 3, Bulangis 2, Matute 2, Montemayor 0.
Quarters: 24-22, 45-43, 74-54, 91-76.