NCAA: Knights crush Altas; Stags up

MANILA—Letran stifled Perpetual Help with its airtight defense for a convincing 74-43 victory and gave the Knights a share of the lead in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan Friday.

The Knights held the Altas to just nine points in the opening period and sustained their superb defensive effort to join San Sebastian and Lyceum on top of the heap by improving to 2-0.

The Stags, boosted by the return of forward Calvin Abueva, overpowered the St. Benilde Blazers, 86-78, for their second straight victory.

Ian Sangalang, who shot 25 points in the opening day victory over Jose Rizal U, kept his solid form with 16, while Abueva dished out another all-around game with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists off the bench.

“This win was all about defense,” said Letran coach Louie Alas, who drew a team-high 18 points from sophomore VJ Espiritu.

Espiritu made four triples, while Kevin Alas and Kevin Racal chipped in 10 apiece for the Knights, who hardly missed suspended forward Kristoffer Alas.

Unlike in their high-scoring loss to the Pirates Wednesday, the Altas couldn’t seem to find their rhythm against the Knights, who held them. Only Jet Vidal breached double-figures with 10 points as the rest of the Altas struggled to find the gaps in the Letran defense.

It was the Altas’ third straight setback – and heaviest – in just six days, while the Blazers also fell to 0-2 in a tie of eighth with the Bombers.

Abueva proved unstoppable in a key second quarter stretch when the Stags increased the lead to 43-29, following a string of fastbreak layups by the 6-foot-3 forward from Pampanga, who wound up second in the MVP race last season.

“Calvin (Abueva) is a great player,” said San Sebastian rookie coach Topex Robinson. “He is the gauge of the young players that’s why I’m telling him to be more mature.”

But there was a cause of concern from Robinson when the Stags looked sloppy in the end, allowing the Blazers to come within six in the final 24 seconds.

Ronald Pascual and rookie Krushev Ferrer added 10 points apiece for San Sebastian.

Returning from a throat infection, Carlo Lastimosa registered 20 points and five rebounds to pace the Blazers, who dropped their first game against Lyceum, 63-75.

In juniors’ play, the Letran Squires improved to 2-0, after downing Perpetual Help, 69-44, while CSB-La Salle Greenhills also kept their unbeaten record with an 86-65 dumping of San Sebastian.

The senior scores:
First Game:
SAN SEBASTIAN 86—Sangalang 16, Abueva 15, Ferrer 10, Pascual 10, Antipuesto 9, Miranda 8, Maiquez 7, Del Rio 4, Baculanag 2, Dela Cruz 2, Vitug 2, Semira 1.
ST. BENILDE 78—Lastimosa 20, Grey 12, Sinco 11, Taha 9, Tan 7, Romero 6, Dela Paz 5, Pate 5, Altamirano 2, McCoy 1, Deles 0, Nayve 0.
Quarters: 24-16, 49-35, 70-57, 86-78
Second Game:
LETRAN 74—Espiritu 18, Alas 10, Racal 10, Belorio 8, Cruz 7, Cortes 5, Dysam 4, Pantin 4, Mendoza 3, Lituania 3, Almazan 2, Cudal 0, Gabriel 0.
PERPETUAL HELP 43—Vidal 10, Thompson 9, Elopre 8, Jolangcob 4, Sumera 4, Alano 3, Asuncion 2, Paulino 2, Sison 1, Arboleda 0, Tonggal 0, Parico 0.
Quarters: 17-9, 40-22, 59-32, 74-43