MANILA—After building an early double-digit gap, San Beda made sure that Letran wouldn’t get any closer for a lopsided 84-68 triumph that awarded the Lions the last semifinal bonus in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Friday at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Knights had worried about San Beda’s bench, which Letran coach Louie Alas described as the “deepest in the league.” And true enough, the Lions’ second unit came out strong to back up Garvo Lanete’s sensational outing.
“It’s all about winning big games,” coach Frankie Lim said after his Lions secured the remaining twice-to-beat semifinal advantage with a 15-2 record.
“Our bigs were in foul trouble but our guys off the bench contributed a lot,” added Lim “I think if they didn’t sustain it [in the second half], we could have lost.”
Lanete unloaded a game-high 28 points on top of five rebounds and a couple of assists in 31 minutes of action.
Anthony Semerad also came out sizzling off the bench, firing nine of his 16 markers from three-point range to help the Lions go up by as many as 20 points, 69-49, in the final quarter.
Rookie Baser Amer stepped up with eight points, seven assists and two steals, while Semerad’s twin brother David also chipped in eight markers.
“[Lanete] couldn’t do it alone and they knew they had to put something on the table,” said Lim.
The surprise rout—which came just a week after the Knights stunned the erstwhile unbeaten San Sebastian, 82-81, in overtime—relegated Letran to third place, 14-4, at the end of their elimination run.
Earlier, Michael Pate unloaded 18 points as St. Benilde downed Emilio Aguinaldo College, 82-73, in a battle of eliminated teams.
“We can at least finish tied for fifth,” St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario said after the Blazers improved to 6-11.
With still one game left, the Lions still have a shot at claiming the No. 1 spot.
“Our most important game was against Letran, but now that the pressure [of securing the semifinal bonus] is out, we want to go for No. 1,” said Lim.
If the Lions win their final game against the Stags (16-1) next Wednesday, both teams will dispute the top spot in a playoff.
Meanwhile, the Management Committee said in a statement yesterday that the league is looking to extend its contract with broadcast giant ABS-CBN for five more years.
Spokesperson Henry Atayde said the league aims to have “a more comprehensive deal” in the negotiation, which has been ongoing for the last two months.
The scores:
First Game
ST. BENILDE 82—Pate 18, Taha 14, Lastimosa 13, Tan 10, Deles 8, Altamirano 8, Dela Paz 5, Sinco 4, Carlos 2, McCoy 0.
EAC 73—Jamon 20, Yaya 17, Vargas 11, Cubo 10, Torralba 6, Chong 5, Paguia 2, Sanchez 2, Morada 0, King 0, Diolanto 0.
Quarters: 22-19, 43-30, 61-47, 82-73
Second Game
SAN BEDA 84—Lanete 28, Semerad A. 16, Amer 8, Semerad D. 8, Pascual J. 7, Dela Rosa 5, Sorela 4, Villahermosa 2, Pascual K. 2, Marcelo 2.
LETRAN 68—Alas Ke. 14, Cortes 13, Cruz 11, Racal 9, Dysam 8, Alamazan 8,Belorio 2, Espiritu 2, Alas Kr. 1, Gabriel 0.
Quarters: 17-14, 42-30, 64-48, 84-68