Blazers defuse Bombers, make Final 4

St. Benilde kept its title-retention bid going last night, posting an 84-74 victory over Jose Rizal University to reach the Final Four of the 77th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Blazers, however, must beat the Heavy Bombers twice in the semis for them to reach the final for the second straight year. Despite the loss, JRU wound up on top of the elims with an 11-3 record while St. Benilde took the fourth spot with an 8-6 card.

Earlier, Mapua ended Letran’s hopes of reaching the semis by carving out a 62-55 victory, while San Sebastian, as expected, crushed San Beda, 84-69, and was amply rewarded with the No. 2 slot and the twice-to-beat advantage that goes with it.

Mapua and San Sebastian, last year’s losing finalist, actually ended tied at 9-5 but the latter prevailed by virtue of a higher quotient of 72.83 against the Cardinal’s 66.83. The two teams will face each other in the Final Four. — Joey Villar