MANILA, Philippines — Letran barged into the finals of the NCAA season 89 men’s basketball tournament after dominating San Sebastian every step of the way, 85-58, Thursday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Knights opened the game strong but wrapped it up even stronger, leading by as huge as 28 points late in game with star Raymond Almazan already riding the bench.
With still three minutes to play, the PBA-bound center checked out and fell short of an incredible triple-double with 19 points, 23 rebounds, and nine blocks for the Knights.
“Before I turn pro, I really wanna be a champion. NCAA is my focus. I’m not thinking about any awards, I just want to win the title,” said Almazan in Filipino.
The lanky Almazan was drafted third by Rain or Shine last Sunday in the PBA but still had duties to fulfill with his alma mater.
But it wasn’t just Almazan who delivered the goods for the Knights, who made it to the finals for the second straight year, with guard Mark Cruz, Kevin Racal Rey Nambatac stepping up.
The diminutive starter Cruz also had 19 markers, Racal added 16 built on three triples while the rookie Nambatac chipped in 13 fourth quarter points.
The fourth-seeded Stags, who haven’t won over the Knights since 2011, barely posed any threat especially after the intermission where the game was blown wide open.
Four players finished in double digits for San Sebastian with revelation CJ Perez leading the way with 11 points along with eight boards. Jamil Ortouste had 10 markers.