SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – NCAA defending champion Letran asserted its mastery over the entire Season 97 field as it escaped heated rival San Beda, 59-56, for a perfect 9-0 elimination round sweep at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan on Friday, April 29.
In the new format, the Knights still clinch the top seed in the 10-team league, but will no longer enjoy an outright finals berth. But Letran will advance to the Final Four toting a twice-to-beat advantage.
Meanwhile, the Red Lions crashed to the third spot, their first finish outside the top two since 2005, and will face the St. Benilde Blazers in the play-in game on Sunday, May 1, 12 pm, for the third seed.
San Beda actually finished tied with Mapua at 7-2, but the Cardinals claimed the No. 2 spot, which comes with a twice-to-beat bonus in the Final Four, due to the winner-over-the-other tiebreak.
Louie Sangalang led the balanced attack with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while rookie-MVP candidate Rhenz Abando bucked a scoreless first half to finish with 10 points on just a 2-of-12 clip, 7 boards, 2 assists, and one huge rejection in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
Abando capped his two-way excellence in the clutch with two pressure-packed free throws with 9.4 seconds left in regulation for a 59-56 lead.
Off a timeout, San Beda had two chances to tie the game, but Peter Alfaro missed a long two attempt from the corner before Tony Ynot crashed the offensive board, and also miffed his long bomb from the opposite corner as time expired.
“It’s all about the breaks of the game. Luck just went our way, and it’s a tight game,” said Letran head coach Bonnie Tan in Filipino after the game. “San Beda fielded a lot of players they didn’t play that much in the last games. We were surprised that they had a lot of good and young players.”
Season 95 Finals MVP Fran Yu was held to just 7 points on 2-of-15 shooting, albeit with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals to make up for his misfires, while graduating forward Jeo Ambohot flexed his defensive chops with 7 points, and game-highs of 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
On the other end, James Kwekuteye paced the heartbreaking loss with a game-high 14 points on a 4-of-15 clip with 7 boards, while former NU gunner JV Gallego sparked the bench with 7 points in 11 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Perpetual Help Altas edged out the scrappy EAC Generals in a tense 63-60 escape to clinch the fifth seed and a play-in spot.
With the win, the Altas finished with a 4-5 record tied with the Arellano Chiefs, who in turn clinched the sixth seed, while the Generals bowed out of contention in seventh with a 3-6 slate.
Kim Aurin scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to lift Perpetual, while Kriss Gurtiza, who missed the potential game-tying three, finished with a game-high 18 points plus 9 rebounds.
Perpetual will now face Arellano on Sunday, 3 pm, for the right to face the loser of the San Beda-St. Benilde match. Then the winner of that match will clinch the fourth seed, and will face Letran in the semifinals on Sunday, May 8, 12 pm.
The Scores
First Game
Perpetual 63 – Aurin 14, Omega 13, Pagaran 10, Razon 9, Egan 6, Barcuma 5, Cuevas 4, Martel 2, Sevilla 0, Abis 0.
EAC 60 – Gurtiza 18, Liwag 12, Robin 11, Maguliano 8, Cosejo 5, Ad. Doria 3, Luciano 2, Taywan 1, Quinal 0, Cosa 0, Bunyi 0, Cadua 0.
Quarters: 18-10, 33-26, 48-44, 63-60.
Second Game
Letran 59 – Sangalang 12, Abando 10, Fajarito 9, Yu 7, Ambohot 7, Mina 5, Javillonar 4, Reyson 2, Paraiso 2, Olivario 1, Caralipio 0.
San Beda 56 – Kwekuteye 14, Gallego 7, Cortez 6, Ynot 5, Penuela 5, Bahio 4, Amsali 4, Jopia 4, Sanchez 3, Alfaro 2, Cuntapay 2, Abuda 0, Andrada 0, Cometa 0, Fornis 0.
Quarters: 15-15, 26-29, 45-39, 59-56.
– Rappler.com
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