Manila, Philippines–American recruit Sudan Daniel dished out a rare triple-double as San Beda crushed Perpetual Help, 101-77, Wednesday for its fifth straight victory in the 86th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Daniel, a 6-foot-7 find from Compton Dominguez, California, scored 16 points that went with 10 rebounds and 10 blocks as the Red Lions, seeking to reclaim the crown they last won in 2008, grabbed the solo lead ahead of idle San Sebastian.
“Sudan was a monster in this game,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. “I just hope he plays that way every game.”
Rookie Jaypee Mendoza came off the bench to finish with 17 points in just 16 minutes on the floor for the Lions, whose astonishing stat line included 30 assists and 17 blocks.
“I couldn’t ask for more with our performance. The ball movement was good. The players were unselfish and the starters had a good rest,” added Lim, whose squad’s average winning margin of 24.4 points per game is tops in the league.
Jet Vidal paced the Altas with 21 points on 19 three-point shots to register his output.
The Lions began pulling away in the first quarter, racing to an 18-6 lead which they extended to 75-45 in the third quarter on two foul shots from Jake Pascual.
Earlier, Emilio Aguinaldo College scored a breakthrough victory by slipping past St. Benilde, 76-71.
In ending their three-game skid to start the season, the Generals leaned on a solid performance from Emilian Vargas, who pumped in 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Blazers absorbed their second loss in three games.
“I’ve been telling him to stay aggressive since some of his teammates were already scouted,” said EAC coach Nomar Isla of Vargas, who spent a year complying with residency requirements after transferring from University of Santo Tomas.
The victory meant more for Isla, who quashed rumors that he was on his way out as EAC coach.
“All the pressure is gone now,” said Isla. “I’m positive with what’s happening to our team. We stuck together despite the losses. We got a two-week break and we got our groove back.”
In juniors’ action, the defending champion San Beda Red Cubs set up a double over Perpetual Help by downing the Junior Altas, 91-77, to reclaim the solo lead with a 4-1 card.
The win spoiled a season-high 44-point effort from Perpetual Help’s Joshua Alolino.
The Junior Blazers overwhelmed the Brigadiers, 97-44, to jack up their record to 2-1 slate.
The senior scores
First Game:
EAC 76- Vargas 17, Cubo 12, Mendoza 11, L Yaya 8, R. Yaya 7, Santos 6, Tuazon 6, Chiong 4, Lapitan 3, Jamon 2, Diolanto 0
St. Benilde 71- de Guzman 14, Lastimosa 13, McCoy 13, Manalac 8, dela Paz 8, Sinco 7, Tan 4, Argamino 2, Wong 2, Abolucion 0, Nayve 0, Melocoton 0
Quarters: 12-9, 27-22, 56-46, 76-71
Second Game:
SAN BEDA 101- Mendoza 17, Lanete 16, Daniel 16, J. Pascual 11, Villahermosa 8, dela Rosa 6, K. Pascual 6, A. Semerad 5, Moralde 4, Hermida 4, Marcelo 4, Sorela 2, Lim 2, Caram 0, D. Semerad 0
PERPETUAL HELP 77- Vidal 21, Danganan 12, Allen 12, Sumera 8, Alano 8, Arboleda 7, Ynion 7, Elopre 2, Sison 0, Kintanar 0, Jolangcob 0, Asuncion 0
Quarters: 22-13, 50-30, 76-51, 101-77
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