MANILA, Philippines—San Beda just couldn’t let the top spot go.
Forging a playoff for the no. 1 seed in the final four, defending champion San Beda flexed its muscles and crushed San Sebastian, 91-70, Wednesday in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The playoff to determine the final placing of the semifinals is on Friday at 2 p.m, but for San Beda coach Frankie Lim, being no. 1 means keeping the tradition since he took over the coaching reins.
“Ever since I coached here, we always had the top spot. And we want to keep it that way,” said Lim as his squad tied with the Stags with a 16-2 record.
And whoever San Beda, which held on to a 20 point advantage for most of the payoff period, will face in the final four, “doesn’t matter. They still have to beat us twice,” added Lim.
Fil-Australian Anthony Semerad, after missing several games early in the season, pumped in life to the Red Lions anew with 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
San Beda’s top scorer Garvo Lanete led with a team-high 17 points, with all but two coming from the first half where his squad fired piled onto the lead.
San Sebastian’s triumvirate, Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sanggalang, still topped their squad’s offensive output although they were already benched in the fourth quarter.
“I had to protect my guys. And I told them, this isn’t the end of the world for us,” said head coach Topex Robinson.
Leading MVP candidate Abueva still finished with a double-double performance of 20 points and 11 rebounds but Sanggalang and Pascual just combined for 21 points.