NCAA: San Beda crushes St. Benilde to near 1st round sweep

MANILA, Philippines–San Beda remained unscathed as it dismantled St. Benilde, 88-57, Friday in the NCAA Season 95 men’s basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Red Lions, the lone undefeated team, hiked their record to 8-0 after a surprisingly easy challenge from the Blazers, who once shared the top spot with the defending champions early in the tournament.

“I think I was really worried about the game because we played LPU, which was a tough game for us, then we were going to play again on Friday,” said head coach Boyet Fernandez.

Calvin Oftana vs Kendrix Belgica. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

But after San Beda went on a blazing 20-9 start, St. Benilde, which has now lost back-to-back after a 5-0 start, hardly posed a threat the rest of the way.

Calvin Oftana finished with career-high 27 points that went with nine rebounds and two steals for the Red Lions, who won their 27th straight game dating back to last season and are a victory away from a first-round sweep.

AC Soberano chipped in 14 points for San Beda, while James Kwekuteye had 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

“We also played really good defense the whole game,” said Fernandez, whose team will face Mapua on Tuesday.

The 31-point win matched the season’s second-biggest winning margin since  San Sebastian’s 82-51 romp of Jose Rizal on July 9.