Lions gun for share of lead vs Chiefs

SAN BEDA shoots for a sixth straight victory, even as Letran takes on St. Benilde in a duel of struggling squads Wednesday in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.   The Lions will tie the defending champion San Sebastian Stags on top with a victory against dangerous Arellano U in the 4 p.m. tiff.   St. Benilde sets out to snap a three-game slide against the Knights at 2 p.m.   But the Knights also see the clash with the Blazers as a chance to get out of their slump, one of their worst under coach Louie Alas.   San Beda will go into the game armed with an average winning margin of 24 points per game in their five outings.   “I don’t think we’re peaking too early,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who steered the Red Lions to titles in 2007 and 2008. “The players are just hungry.”   The Lions’ American center, Sudan Daniel, is coming off a rare triple double performance, and limiting his effectiveness will be a cause for concern to Arellano coach Leo Isaac.   Adding to Isaac’s worries is the inspired play of Lim’s rookies like Jaypee Mendoza, who shot 17 points in just 16 minutes in the 101-77 drubbing of Perpetual Help last week.   “I have five rookies and they are all playing well,” said Lim.   Isaac said the Chiefs are prepared to stop the Lions’ fluid offense and transition game.   Unlike San Beda which has a bench so deep some of its third stringers could easily land a starting spot in other teams, the Chiefs mainly rely on three players—Isaiah Ciriacruz, Adrian Celada and rookie Rocky Acidre.