Standings W L
*Benilde 14 4
*Letran 13 4
*LPU 12 6
*San Beda 12 6
SSC-R 8 9
Arellano 7 11
Perpetual 7 11
Mapua 6 11
JRU 6 11
EAC 3 15
*Final Four
Mga laro ngayon:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
12 noon – Mapua vs SSC-R
3 p.m. – JRU vs Letran
SUMANDIG ang College of Saint Benilde sa malakas na second half upang muling dominahin ang San Beda, 82-73, at kunin ang twice-to-beat incentive sa Final 4 sa NCAA men’s basketball tournament kahapon sa Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Naitala ni Will Gozum ang 12 sa kanyang 15 points sa second half, kung saan na-outscore ng Blazers ang Red Lions, 40-22, sa huling dalawang quarters upang tapusin ang kanilang best elimination round outing sa loob ng dalawang dekada na may 14-4 record.
Ang final ranking na lamang ang hinihintay ng Benilde dahil may laban pa ang defending champion Letran (13-4) kontra also-ran Jose Rizal University sa huling araw ng eliminations ngayong alas-3 ng hapon. Makukuha ng Knights, nakopo rin ang Final Four bonus sa panalo ng Blazers, ang No. 1 ranking kung mananalo sila sa Bombers.
“It’s a great feeling,” sabi ni Benilde coach Charles Tiu. “Obviously, the semis is nothing else, it’s back to zero. But at least, we have an extra game for us. Lyceum, San Beda, they are both really good teams. That’s why the extra game is such a huge bonus for us.”
“This is a big game. The guys showed composure, they really found a way to lock down and defend. They showed their character. That’s what we are looking for my players. They start to improve and grow up,” dagdag pa niya.
Nakumpleto ng Blazers, nasa kanilang unang Final Four appearance magmula noong 2002, ang head-to-head elims round sweep sa Red Lions, na nagtapos na tabla sa Pirates sa 12-6.
Gayunman ay nahulog ang San Beda sa No. 4 dahil winalis ito ng LPU sa eliminations at maaaring makaharap ang Letran sa Final Four. Nagkasya ang Pirates sa No. 3 ranking.
Hataw si Mark Sangco ng double-double outing n 19 points, 12 rebounds at 2 steals upang pangunahan ang Benilde. Nagdagdag si Miggy Corteza ng 15 points at 4 boards, habang kumalawit si Gozum ng 10 rebounds.
Tumapos si James Kwekuteye na may 18 points, 6 assists at 3 boards, habang nagtala si JB Bahio ng 18 points, 2 blocks at 2 assists para sa Red Lions.
Sa unang laro ay mainit na tinapos ng Emilio Aguinaldo College ang kanilang season sa pamamagitan ng 63-62 overtime victory kontra Arellano University.
Nanguna si JP Maguliano para sa Generals na may 18 points at 6 rebounds habang kumana si Nat Cosejo ng double-double outing na 14 points at 14 boards.
Iskor:
Unang laro:
EAC (63) — Maguliano 18, Cosejo 14, Balowa 12, Bajon 12, Tolentino 3, Dominguez 2, Bacud 1, Luciano 1, Cosa 0, An. Doria 0, Umpad 0, Quinal 0, Angeles 0.
Arellano (62) — Doromal 25, Flores 12, Talampas 12, Tolentino 5, Oliva 4, Mantua 2, Mallari 2, Oftana 0, Sunga 0, Abastillas 0.
QS: 13-15, 20-27, 35-41, 54-54, 63-62
Ikalawang laro:
Benilde (82) — Sangco 19, Gozum 15, Corteza 15, Pasturan 13, Oczon 9, Carlos 5, Cullar 2, Nayve 2, Lepalam 2, Marcos 0, Davis 0.
San Beda (73) — Bahio 18, Kwekuteye 18, Cometa 12, Andrada 6, Cortez 6, Ynot 4, Alfaro 4, Cuntapay 3, Sanchez 2, Visser 0.
QS: 26-26, 42-51, 63-60, 82-73.
