A comeback like no other: Lions devour Chiefs
(UPDATE 2) MANILA, Philippines–San Beda woke up like a sleeping giant. The Red Lions threw the full weight of their vaunted arsenal at the Arellano Chiefs in the last 20 minutes, easily wiping out a double-digit halftime deficit en route to an emphatic 92-57 victory Wednesday in the 86th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan. In a second-half performance few teams in the league could rival, the Lions overwhelmed the Chiefs, 65-18, in the last two quarters to extend their unbeaten start to six games. “Where in this country can you find a second-half performance like that?” declared San Beda coach Frankie Lim. “We just turned on the switch in the second half. You can just imagine our firepower when our team plays to its potential.” Earlier, Letran bounced back from a pair of lopsided losses by dumping St. Benilde, 70-54. Kristoffer Alas, the eldest son of Knights coach Louie, fired 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Letran hiked its record to 2-4 and gain a share of fifth with Arellano. “It was just a matter of having the willingness to play defense,” said the Letran. “If we want to survive, we shouldn’t reserve our energy for offense.” Stepping up in the absence of leading scorer Garvo Lanete, who sat out the game due to a mild sprain, Anthony Semerad, a 6-foot-4 recruit from Brisbane, Australia, shot 20 points, including 16 in the second half for the Lions, who tallied 34 fastbreak points. With veterans Jake Pascual and Sudan Daniel struggling to find their rhythm, the Lions also drew superb efforts from Dave Marcelo, Rome Dela Rosa and Borgie Hermida. Marcelo had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Dela Rosa posted 16 points, 7 rebounds and six assists and Hermida flirted with a triple-double finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Chiefs seized a 39-27 lead at the break on Ronnel del Rosario’s buzzer-beater, but found themselves firing blanks and throwing away possessions in the second half when San Beda applied a full-court press that led to easy transition points. Adrian Celada led the Chiefs’ early charge with 13 points in the first half, but finished with just 16 for the game. The Chiefs’ 12-point lead vanished in the first two and a half minutes of the third after Semerad fired seven straight points before Dela Rosa sustained the onslaught with three fastbreak layups that shoved the Lions, 58-50, heading into the fourth period. A 27-2 blast in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter put the outcome beyond doubt for the Red Lions, who are seeking to reclaim the title they last won in 2008. In juniors’ action, San Beda clobbered Arellano, 77-41, to keep top spot with a 5-1 record, while Letran subdued St. Benilde, 68-64, to improve to a 3-3 card. The senior scores: First Game LETRAN 70- Alas 15, Cortes 12, Belencion 11, Dysam 10, Espiritu 7, Belorio 7, Taplah 4, Pantin 2, Alejandro 2, Almazan 0, Ang 0, Roxas 0, Publico 0 ST. BENILDE 54- Lastimosa 12, dela Paz 9, de Guzman 7, Wong 7, Abolucion 6, Nayve 5, McCoy 3, Tan 2, Argamino 1, Ongteco 1, Melocoton 1, Sinco 0, Manlalac 0, Amin 0, Sevilla 0 Quarters:17-11, 36-28, 57-37, 70-54 Second Game SAN BEDA 92- Semerad 20, dela Rosa 16, Marcelo 16, Hermida 11, Mendoza 9, Daniel 7, Villahermosa 5, J. Pascual 3, Caram 3, K. Pascual 2, Lim 0 ARELLANO U 57- Celada 16, Acidre 9, Ciriacruz 8, Casino 7, Advincula 6, del Rosario 4, Zulueta 4, Lapuz 3, Santos 0, Palma 0, Catapang 0, Anquilo 0, Caperal 0. Quarters: 19-16, 27-39, 58-50, 92-57
