FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Claiming the top seed once more, the San Beda Red Lions preyed on the Arellano University Chiefs, 97-69, in their NCAA playoff seeding at the Arena in San JuanThursday evening.
San Beda took the first seed for the ninth straight year and snapped their three-game losing streak in the process.
Smelling blood in the second and third quarters, the Red Lions turned a 28-32 deficit to an insurmountable 47-32 lead with team captain Kyle Pascual scoring on a mid-range jumper to cap the hunt.
Red Lions Coach Boyet Fernandez thanked his players for never leaving the system and continuing the San Beda way of basketball.
“I give the credit to them, they never gave up and they stayed together,” Fernandez said. “Even after the three straight losses they stuck with the system.”
San Beda was a run-away train in the second half, especially in the fourth, going on a 12-2 gathering with David Semerad scoring on a three-point play to go up 81-58.
At the 5:38 mark of the fourth, Keith Agovida was called with an unsportsmanlike foul after he extended his knee at no one in particular.
Fernandez thanked their biggest supporter Manuel V. Pangilinan for spending time with the players on Tuesday night.
He also looked forward to meeting the fourth seed University of Perpetual Help in the Final Four which boasts the top three individual players in the league.
Perpetual has leading Most Valuable Player candidate Earl Thompson, and versatile swingmen Harold Arboleda and Juneric Baloria.
San Beda’s quiet leader Baser Amer had 21 points and five assists with Ola Adeogun adding 15 points and 12 boards.
Pascual contributed 14 points with Roldan Sara and Art Dela Cruz scoring 10 apiece.
Levi Hernandez and Agovida had 11 and 10 points apiece for Arellano.
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