| New NCAA Season Begins - Lions win! Going for three-peat! |
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| Written by California Bedan | ||||||
| Jun 28, 2008 at 10:14 PM | ||||||
http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20080629-145384/Lions-maul-Cardinals-Knights-up
In the second game, the Letran Knights turned to role players Raymar Gutilban and John Melegrito to score an 83-69 decision over the Jose Rizal University in a rematch of last year’s Final Four duel. “I didn’t expect the team to play with this kind of energy for the entire game,” Knights coach Louie Alas said. Meligrito, who also grabbed seven rebounds, buried a triple from the left quarter court for 68-53 with four minutes left after the Bombers had sliced the lead to 51-60. He finished with 14 points, the same output as Gutilban. Second Game ================= From Manila Bulletin San Beda, Letran win NCAA openers
San Beda College routed host Mapua Institute of Technology, 85-56, yesterday to begin the Red Lions’ quest for three straight crowns in the NCAA seniors basketball tournament which unwrapped at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday. The Red Lions, in a show of force that underlines their tag as a cut above the rest, relentlessly attacked the Cardinals after a slow start and led by as much as 33 points, 81-48, 3:59 to go, before coasting along until the final buzzer. "I thought all the while (it would be) pretty close," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. "It was our execution. my coaches did a good job in scouting." Sam Ekwe led the defending champions with 18 points, 12 rebounds and two steals while Ogie Menor contributed 12 points. Controversial rookie Jake Pascual made a good showing with eight points. The Mendiola-based squad, after taking a slim 8-7 lead, exploded a 17-6 bomb to take a 25-13 first period lead, stretched this to 46-29 at the turn and then made it 68-46 going into the final 10 minutes. "We just caught Mapua on a bad night," Lim said. "It would not be like this every night. It is not going to be easy this year." Ian Mazo spearheaded MIT with 13 points, while Neil Pascual scored 10. In the second game, Letran College upended Jose Rizal University, 83-69. Dino Daa scored all HIS eight points in a third quarter spurt to push the Knights ahead, 50-33, 4:07 remaining. Although the Bombers came to within seven points early in the fourth, Letran went on a binge once more to race to a 77-58 lead. Daa led four Knights in double digits with 20 points. Reymar Gutilban contributed 14 while Jazul had 13 and Melegrito, 12. James Sena led the Bombers with 19 markers. In a festive opening ceremony, former NCAA players, led by Romel Adducul, Atoy Co, Phillip Cezar and Chito Loyzaga, graced the event. SBC team captain Pong Escobal led the oath of sportsmanship. ============== From ABS-CBN Online Red Lions off to roaring startBy NELSON BELTRAN Back-to-back titlist San Beda showcased its awesome strength right in the opener of the 2008 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Saturday, clobbering Mapua, 85-56, before a huge crowd at the Araneta Coliseum. Sam Ekwe, the 6-foot-8 Nigerian behemoth in his third season in the league, best typified San Beda’s talent and power as he came through with 18 points, 12 rebounds and two steals aside from putting up an imposing presence that limited Mapua’s inside incursions. Ogie Menor and JR Tecson provided the outside firepower, both going two-of-two from beyond the arc as the Red Lions dominated the Cardinals with a game that spoke well of their potential to win a third straight championship in the country’s oldest collegiate league. "We executed well, allowing us to get an early big lead and take control all the way to the finish," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. Letran, the losing finalist last year, was also off to an impressive start, walloping Jose Rizal U, 83-69, in the second game. "To be aggressive was the only thing in our mind going to this game. The boys played above my expectations," said Letran coach Louie Alas. The Red Lions played well on both ends of the court, taking the half at 46-29 and hardly giving the Cardinals any room to recover. San Beda made it 68-46 at the end of the third period and stepped up even more with the team’s second stringers taking over in the final canto. Jake Kyle Pascual, cleared to play for San Beda at the last minute, scored two straight baskets in a 13-to-nothing run that gave the team its biggest spread at 81-48. The 6-foot-5 Pascual logged eight points, six rebounds, three shot blocks and two assists in his first game in San Beda’s red and white jersey. The Cardinals had little success making baskets from inside and out. They converted only four of 27 three-point attempts as against the Red Lions’ 8-of-14 three-point shooting. Mapua top gun Kelvin Dela Pena was 1-of-7 from the three-point area and finished with only nine points. =============== From Manila Times Red Lions rout Cardinals in NCAA opener Led by Nigerian scholar Sam Ekwe, the three-peat seeking Red Lions raced to a 46-29 lead at the half and were never threatened. Ekwe, a sophomore taking up business administration, finished with 18 points for San Beda, which also got 12 points from Ogie Menor, “We did not expect a lopsided match. I thought at the start that it’s going to be close. Maybe we were just more prepared,” said San Beda head coach Frankie Lim “We have a plan and we were able to execute it well. And I congratulate also our coaching staff for scouting our opponent well,” added Lim. Lim, a teammate of Chito Loyzaga in the 1978-1980 champion team, is optimistic that he can steer the Red Lions to a third-straight championship this season. “We have the materials and we have a big chance. So we will really go for it,” said Lim. Sophomore Riego Gamalinda fired a triple that gave the Red Lions a 45-25 lead from a 25-19 first-quarter score. The five-time champion Cardinals tried to close the gap but all their efforts went to naught. Ian Mazo led Mapua with 13 points while Niel Pascual chipped in 10 points. Meanwhile, the country’s oldest collegiate league paid tribute to its best products for the past 84 years. Recognized were Philip Cezar of Jose Rizal University, Samboy Lim of Letran, Rommel Adducul of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, former Crispa Redmanizer Atoy Co of Mapua, Sunday Salvacion of College of St. Benilde, Nelbert Omolon of Philippine Christian University, Chito Loyzaga of San Beda College and Bong Hawkins of Perpetual Help Dalta System. “We are really proud of having these players in our league,” said NCAA head Dr. Reynaldo Vea of host Mapua.
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| Last Updated ( Jun 28, 2008 at 10:38 PM ) | ||||||
