A sweep in the offing?

MANILA, Philippines—San Beda had the game in full control from the get-go as the Red Lions rolled past the Arellano Chiefs, 70-54, in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Friday at the  FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.

 

The unbeaten Lions built an early double-digit spread, 18-6, and never turned back to coast to their 13th straight triumph.

 

With the victory, the Red Lions inched closer to making official what seems like a given anyway: A twice-to-beat edge in the semifinals.

 

Rome dela Rosa buried 17 points on a 7-of-11 shooting clip, while American Sudan Daniel remained as dominant at the post with 11 markers, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

 

Jake Pascual also posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards for the Lions, who need just one more victory in their last three games to cement the semifinal bonus.

 

San Beda coach Frankie Lim, however, wasn’t completely satisfied.

 

“I’m worried about our offense, we’re like 20 points below our average, so it’s off,” said Lim after his Lions ended the Chiefs’ Final Four hopes.

 

The seemingly less firepower may be pinned on the absence of veteran guard Borgie Hermida, who missed his second game with the Lions due to flu.

 

“We decided not to play him so he’ll be well-rested going into our game against JRU,” said Lim of Hermida, the team skipper who averages 11.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds.

 

While the twice-to-beat edge is virtually a given, the Lions are also within reach of a tougher bonus. San Beda can skirt the Final Four by sweeping its elimination assignments to secure an outright championship berth.

 

But for San Beda to pull off the feat, the Lions must hurdle a killer stretch that includes third-ranked Jose Rizal University (11-3),  Letran (6-8) and defending champion San Sebastian (12-1).

 

The Chiefs, meanwhile, dropped out of semifinal contention with a 5-9 record, leaving idle Mapua (8-5) and Letran to fight for the last Final Four berth.

 

A power outage stalled the San Beda-Arellano tiff for 20 minutes with the Lions up at 63-51 with 3:13 minutes remaining.

 

Earlier, St. Benilde picked up its fifth victory in 15 games following a 70-64 triumph over winless Perpetual Help in a battle of eliminated teams.

 

Carlo Lastimosa drilled 15 points to pace the seventh-ranked Blazers’ balanced charge.

 

Timothy McCoy had 14 markers, 12 rebounds and three blocks, while Mark de Guzman added 13 points as the Blazers dealt the Altas their 14th straight loss. 

 

In juniors action, San Beda similarly clinched at least a playoff for the twice-to-beat incentive as the the Red Cubs crushed the Junior Chiefs, 89-53.

 

MVP frontrunner Baser Amer shot 12 points on top of a season-high 17 assists, eight boards and three steals to power the Cubs to a 12-1 record.

 

La Salle Green Hills’ Juniors Blazers, meanwhile, stunned the third-running Junior Altas, 75-72, with Youth Olympian Michael Pate leading with 20 points.

 

Mario Bonleon added 19 markers for the Junior Blazers, who improved to sixth at 8-7. The Junior Altas slipped to 9-5.

 

The seniors scores:
First Game
ST. BENILDE 70—Lastimosa 15, McCoy 14, De Guzman 13, Mañalac 8, Sinco 6, Tan 6, Nayve 4, Abolucion 2, Argamino 1, Amin 1, Wong 0
PERPETUAL 64—Vidal 20, Allen 12, Danganan 8, Sumera 8, Arboleda 5, Salvado 4, Kintanar 3, Alano 2, Asuncion 2, Elopre 0, Ynion 0, Sison 0.
Quarters: 21-15, 32-35, 55-46, 70-64
Second Game
SAN BEDA 70—Dela Rosa 17, Pascual 11, Daniel 11, Marcelo 10, Lanete 9, Caram 5, Villahermosa 4, Pascual 2, Semerad A. 1, Semerad D. 0, Moralde 0, Sorela 0, Lim 0. 
ARELLANO 54—Celada 19, Ciriacruz 14, Casino 6, Lapuz 4, Advincula 4, Caperal 2, Acidre 2, Virtudazo 2, Zulueta 1, Palma 0, Del Rosario 0, Tayongtong 0.
Quarters: 20-9, 36-22, 56-44, 70-54