MANILA—A week after eluding the upset ax, San Beda hopes to return to its dominant ways in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament today.
The Red Lions, whose 21-game winning streak came under serious threat from St. Benilde, shoot for a share of the lead against Emilio Aguinaldo at 2 p.m. at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
“We have to do a whole lot better,” said coach Frankie Lim of his Lions, whose winning run dates back from their perfect 18-0 championship romp last season.
“There was something different with how we ran the plays [in our last game]. It was our execution that killed us,” added Lim.
Perpetual Help aims to build on its first victory against St. Benilde at 4 p.m.
“It was the players’ heart that won the game,” coach Jimwel Gican said last Monday after the Altas pulled off a dramatic 79-77 triple overtime victory against Jose Rizal University to snap their four-game skid.
“But we still have to double our efforts. The team has been making a lot of sacrifices.”
Lim said the Lions hope to avoid the “mental mistakes” and “bad decisions” they committed in their 79-78 squeaker over the Blazers last Friday.
The Lions needed the heroics of rookie Baser Amer, the NCAA juniors MVP last season, who drained all his 11 points in the fourth quarter to stay unbeaten.
A fifth victory today will lift the Lions on top with idle San Sebastian.
The Generals, meanwhile, return with main man Claude Cubo two days after becoming the first victim of the erstwhile winless Mapua, 80-63.
Cubo served a one-game suspension as penalty for punching Lyceum’s Onofre Napiza.
The Blazers similarly vie to recover from a fourth straight loss, the last dealt just last Wednesday by Letran, 112-91.