PASAY CITY, Philippines - The San Beda Red Lions roared their way to a second straight victory, demolishing the Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins, 72-63, in Season 84 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Despite going on a 10-day break after a masterful win against Mapua on opening day, the Mendiola-based dribblers showed composure and took control in the final minutes of the fourth canto, going on an 11-0 run in the homestretch to break from a 56-all count.
“We started flat," said Lions head coach Frankie Lim. “We struggled, especially in the first quarter. PCU took their shots at will."
The Lions tied Letran atop the standings with a 2-0 record, while PCU sank deeper in the standings with a 0-3 card.
In the first game, reigning MVP Kelvin dela Peña scored 16 points, including a critical three-pointer in the last two minutes, to lead the Mapua Cardinals to a 76-65 victory over Perpetual Help.
Dela Peña and teammate TG Guillermo hit consecutive long bombs to open a 69-65 score to a 75-65 spread late in the game and the Cardinals secured their second straight win in consecutive playing days. Mapua’s record now stands at 2-1.
Ronald Reyes had 22 points to lead the Altas, which fell to 1-3.
Heavily favored before the game, the Lions were staring defeat in the hands of a team predicted to land at the bottom of the tournament. But with seasoned big man Beau Belga serving as their muscle-bound leader, the Dolphins threw everything at the defending champions.
Tied at 56 with less than three minutes left in the game, San Beda guard Borgie Hermida completed a three-point play to put San Beda ahead, 59-56.
Back-to-back triples by Hermida and lead playmaker Pong Escobal pushed San Beda’s lead to 11, 67-56, with 1:07 remaining.
PCU had a hard time breaking the Lions’ defense that went screw-tight in the dying minutes. Coupled with their inability to convert free throws in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins lost for the second consecutive time in as many playing dates.
“If you look at the other teams, they’ve had a lot of time to prepare," PCU coach Joel Dualan said. “We didn’t have that luxury and you could see that with the way we struggled in the game."
Belga, taking over as the Dolphins’ emotional leader from Australia-bound point-guard Jason Castro, struggled throughout the game, finishing with only eight points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes of play. - Erickson Beco
| Red Lions now 2-0 |
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| Written by California Bedan | |
| Jul 09, 2008 at 12:00 AM | |
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From Manila Bulletin Online: San Beda survives PCU scare
Borgie Hermida proved that yesterday as the back-up guard helped power the Red Lions to a 72-63 win over the Philippine Christian University and to a share of the lead in the NCAA Basketball Tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. With starting guard Escobal nursing a flu, Hermida rose to the occasion, completing a three-point to break a 56-56 count with 2:55 remaining. That play turned out to be the most critical as the Red Lions steadily pulled away until Menor sealed the win with two charities for a 71-61 lead, 27 ticks left. With the win, the Red Lions tied Letran for the lead with similar 2-0 cards. Earlier, Mapua streaked to its third straight win against one loss by beating University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, 76-65. "We struggled in the first quarter. We really started flat," remarked San Beda head coach Frankie Lim. "It was because of the long layoff. I was in denial, we got rusty with the ten-day break." Hermida topscored for San Beda with 17 points on top of six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Bam Gamalinda hit 13 points, while Menor added 11 points. "At the end of the day, a win is a win. I will take it," Lim said. "Ogie played well, Bambam played well and Borgie hit a big shot." PCU fell further at the bottom with three straight losses. The loss was another disappointment for PCU which led three-fourths of the way. Lei Mar Navarro led Philppine Christian with 16 points and four assists. Liz Amparado had 12 points. Ekwe and PCU’s Beau Belga canceled each other in a battle of giants with the Dolphin center making eight points and 13 rebounds and the Nigerian producing nine points and 11 rebounds. More next page.....
TG Guillermo and reigning MVP Kevin dela Peña stuck hardest for the Cardinals as they combined for three triples down the stretch to improve their record to 3-1. The Altas suffered their second straight setback following a big win over PCU in the opener to slip to 1-2 – the same records of idle San Sebastian and Jose Rizal University. Leading 67-63 with 2:10 remaining, Dela Peña, who is expected to join the PBA Rookie Draft next month, buried a triple for a 70-63 lead. But Ronald Reyes, who finished with 22 points, countered with two free throws to cut Mapua’s lead down to 70-65.
From ABS-CBN Online: Lions, Cards survive NCAA foes07/09/2008 | 06:41 PM
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| Last Updated ( Jul 16, 2008 at 01:36 AM ) |
