Lions clinch No. 1 seed

OLA Adeogun of San Beda blocks a layup by James Forrester of Arellano in yesterday’s match at Filoil Flying V Arena. AUGUST DELA CRUZ/INQUIRER

SAN BEDA warmed up for more important battles ahead with a 78-62 drubbing of Arellano last night that made the Lions the top seed heading into the Final Four of the 89th NCAA basketball tournament.

The Lions leaned on a balanced offensive to notch the 15th victory that boosted them to the No. 1 spot at the end of the elimination round for the eighth straight season at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Baser Amer and Ola Adeogun tallied 11 points apiece, while Roldan Sara continued his stellar play, picking up 10 points for the Lions, who will face the loser of the Perpetual Help-San Sebastian playoff in the Final Four on Nov. 7.

“I’m happy for the players,” said Lions coach Boyet Fernandez, whose squad avoided a playoff against Letran. “It has been a rollercoaster ride for us in terms of performance but I’m glad that they came out strong for this game.”

The Chiefs saw their four-game winning run snapped and finished the season with an 8-10 record in a tie with Lyceum for sixth spot.

Earlier, Emilio Aguinaldo College shrugged off the heartbreak of missing out on the  Final Four by coming from behind to repulse Mapua, 82-76, last night to cap  its finest season.

Remy Morada caught fire in the final period as the Generals rallied from a double-digit deficit to end their campaign with an impressive 10-8 record.

The sophomore guard poured 18 of his 23 points in the final 10 minutes,  where the Generals outscored the Cardinals, 27-15.

Their hopes of reaching the Final Four dashed by San Sebastian’s win over  St. Benilde last Thursday, the Generals can take satisfaction at the fact  that they posted their best record since joining the league in 2009.

The Cardinals finished with a 2-16 record in one of their worst seasons in  the country’s oldest collegiate league.

“Even though we were eliminated, this is still a big achievement for the  school,” said EAC assistant coach Andy de Guzman who called the shots in the  place of  Gerry Esplana who is in China due to a prior commitment.

EAC center Cedric Noube dished out another solid outing with 17 points and  14 rebounds while Jan Jamon tallied 13 points, including a triple early that  sparked the comeback early in the fourth quarter.

In juniors play, the San Beda Cubs completed an 18-game sweep and clinched the first finals seat following a 96-56 demolition of the Arellano Braves.

With the sweep, the Lions will also have a 1-0 lead in a virtual best-of-five series in the finals.

The remaining final spot will be disputed by San Sebastian, La Salle Green Hills and Mapua in a stepladder format. LSGH, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 4 Mapua in a knockout game with the winner facing San Sebastian for the second finals spot.

The scores:

First Game

EAC 82—Morada 23, Happi 17, Jamon 13, Arquero 11, King 5, Munsayac 5, Tayongtong 4, Paguia 2, Hiole Manga 2, Castro 0, Mejos 0, Onwubere 0.

MAPUA 76—Cantos 24, Magsigay 15, Brana 13, Ighalo 11, Isit 9, Gonzalez 2, Estrella 2, Gabo 0, Guzman 0, Magtoto 0.

Quarters: 16-19, 28-39, 55-61, 82-76

Second Game

SAN BEDA 78—Amer 11, Adeogun 11. Sara 10, Pascual 10, Dela Rosa 10, Dela Cruz 9, A. Semerad 8, Abarcar 5, D. Semerad 2, Ludovice 2, Mendoza 0, Bonsubre 0, Villaruz 0, Abatayo 0.

ARELLANO 62—Caperal 23, Serjue 17, Jalalon 7, Pinto 6, Forrester 4, Hernandez 3, Bangga 2, Gumaru 0, Salcedo 0, Nicholls 0, Agovida 0.

Quarters: 20-7, 40-21, 61-35, 78-62