Letran Knights. –NCAA PHOTO
Bitter rivals San Beda and defending champion Letran carved out contrasting wins on Wednesday to end their respective first round schedules in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament firmly inside the top four.
The Knights, seeking a three-peat, survived a scare from Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), 72-68, just after the Red Lions gored Perpetual Help, 71-52 at San Juan Arena as both collegiate powerhouses will take 6-3 records into the second round.
Idle College of St. Benilde is at No. 1, with Lyceum running second at 7-2.
Despite holding a comfortable 13-point lead in the latter part of the second quarter, the Knights found themselves in a dogfight with the Generals in the fourth period before Kurt Reyson iced the win with two free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining.
“EAC gave us a good game and they made it hard for us to get a tough win,” Letran coach Bonnie Tan said. “This is our last game in the first round and I can say we closed it out properly.”
The Lions opened the game with a 25-11 blitz and never looked back, eventually dealing the Altas a fifth loss in nine games. INQ