San Beda steps up defense vs reeling Arellano
San Beda clubbed Arellano, 76-63, in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, nailing back-to-back wins to boost its chances for a semifinal stint.
The Red Lions still sit on the No. 4 spot after nailing their eighth win in 12 outings and sending the Chiefs to their seventh loss against five wins.
San Beda held Arellano to just 33.3 percent shooting en route to the victory.
“Of course, I have to give it to the players. They made it difficult for [Axel] Doromal and the others [to score]. That will always be our calling card, make stops,” San Beda coach Yuri Escueta said.
But the Red Lions also left the Chiefs worrying about more than just the loss at Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
Arellano went into the match dealing with injuries to Cade Flores (sprain), Joshua Abastillas (sprain) and Neil Tolentino (back pains), who all did not suit up. And then Shane Menina (back problems) started but played just 36 seconds before ultimately being benched for the remainder of the game.
“[Losing them] is such a big factor because they are my first five. We fought today and it wasn’t enough. We didn’t have much rotation,” said Arellano coach Cholo Martin.
The injured Chiefs remain doubtful for their next game on Friday against San Sebastian, with Martin saying he will “try to see developments” before making a decision.
San Beda only led by three points at the intermission, 34-31, before mugging Arellano with a 15-9 blitz to take a 49-40 lead.
James Kwekuteye tallied 16 points for the Red Lions. JB Bahio registered a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Doromal finished with 12 points for Arellano but made just three shots from 12 attempts.
In the other game, Mapua dealt Jose Rizal University (JRU) its third straight loss with a 74-49 rout.
The Cardinals, who upped their winning streak to three, used stifling defense in the second half, limiting the Heavy Bombers to just 18 points.
“Our offense came naturally. We really focused on defense. Our shots were just bonuses but we went all out on defense,” said Joaqui Garcia, who finished with 17 points to lead Mapua. INQ
