Knights rip Generals; St. Benilde avoids cellar
RANGED AGAINST a team bereft of its best ballhandler, Letran pressed all game long to score an 88-65 drubbing of Emilio Aguinaldo College for only its third victory in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Knights forced a total of 26 turnovers on the Generals, while drawing firepower from Jaypee Belencion and Kevin Alas to gain a share of sixth place with Arellano University.
St. Benilde earlier snapped a six-game slide as the Blazers extended the misery of the Perpetual Help Altas with a 79-70 victory.
The Blazers ended the first round tied with the Generals at 2-6 while the Altas lost for the eighth straight time this season and 17th in the NCAA since last year.
Belencion finished with 18 points, all coming from the three-point area, while Alas, who missed majority of the first round because of a knee injury, pumped in 15 for the Knights, who pulled away early in the fourth period.
With chief playmaker Argel Mendoza sitting out the game because of a left knee injury, the Generals looked like a ship without a rudder.
The Generals fell into a maze of errors when the Knights stepped up the pressure at the backcourt. Letran opened the fourth period with a 7-0 run for an 86-76 lead and never looked back.
Jam Cortes, described by Letran coach Louie Alas as the “missing link” in the 76-78 loss to Arellano U last Friday, bounced back with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“This win is very important to the morale of the team,” said Alas, who is aiming for a seventh straight Final Four appearance with one of his weakest lineups in years.
Rookie Carlo Lastimosa fired 21 points, including 13 in the first period, to lead the Blazers.
In juniors’ action, Perpetual Help turned back St. Benilde, 62-54, to grab solo second place with a 6-2 card, while Letran overpowered EAC, 72-59, for its fifth straight win after dropping its first three games.
The senior scores:
First Game
LETRAN 88—Belencion 18, Ke. Alas 15, Dysam 11, Cortes 11, Espiritu 9, Kr. Alas 8, Belorio 6, Taplah 6, Almazan 2, Pantin 2, Rodil 0
EAC 65—Santos 13, Lapitan 10, R. Yaya 9, Chiong 9, Vargas 8, Villegas 5, Cubo 5, L. Yaya 3, Lim 2, Jamon 1, Tuazon 0, Sanchez 0, Diolanto 0
Quarters: 23-16, 23-38, 69-55, 88-65
Second Game
ST. BENILDE 79—Lastimosa 21, McCoy 12, Tan 11, Abolucion 11, dela Paz 10, de Guzman 5, Argamino 5, Wong 4, Sinco 0, Nayve 0, Amin 0, Manalac 0.
PERPETUAL HELP 70—Danganan 22, Vidal 19, Alano 9, Sumera 6, Asuncion 5, Kintanar 2, Jolangcob 2, Allen 2, Ynion 2, Arboleda 1, Sison 0, Elopre 0.
Quarters: 19-13, 39-41, 58-56, 79-70
First Game
LETRAN 88—Belencion 18, Ke. Alas 15, Dysam 11, Cortes 11, Espiritu 9, Kr. Alas 8, Belorio 6, Taplah 6, Almazan 2, Pantin 2, Rodil 0
EAC 65—Santos 13, Lapitan 10, R. Yaya 9, Chiong 9, Vargas 8, Villegas 5, Cubo 5, L. Yaya 3, Lim 2, Jamon 1, Tuazon 0, Sanchez 0, Diolanto 0
Quarters: 23-16, 23-38, 69-55, 88-65
Second Game
ST. BENILDE 79—Lastimosa 21, McCoy 12, Tan 11, Abolucion 11, dela Paz 10, de Guzman 5, Argamino 5, Wong 4, Sinco 0, Nayve 0, Amin 0, Manalac 0.
PERPETUAL HELP 70—Danganan 22, Vidal 19, Alano 9, Sumera 6, Asuncion 5, Kintanar 2, Jolangcob 2, Allen 2, Ynion 2, Arboleda 1, Sison 0, Elopre 0.
Quarters: 19-13, 39-41, 58-56, 79-70
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