Lions rip Pirates to claim solo lead

Games tomorrow

12 noon – St. Benilde vs San Sebastian (Jrs/Srs)

4 p.m. – Pereptual Help vs EAC (Srs/Jrs)

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda bucked the absence of Arthur dela Cruz and Nigerian Ola Adeogun’s early fouls as it blasted Lyceum, 84-68,to gain the solo lead in the 90th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.

The Red Lions trailed in the first quarter, barely seized control in the next but poured it all out in the last two periods to race to double-digit leads en route to victory, their third straight after thumping the Jose Rizal U Bombers and the Mapua Cardinals.

Fil-Aussie Anthony Semerad exploded with 20 points as he more than made up for the absence of dela Cruz, sacked for one game for unsportsmanlike foul on Mapua’s Jeson Cantos, while the bench stepped up when the foul-hit Adeogun struggled early in the third.

But Adeogun still finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and one block in a 21-minute stint.

Ranbill Tongco, Jaypee Mendoza and Semerad’s twin brother David pooled 23 points for the five-peat seeking Red Lions. The troika, along with Semerad, Baser Amer and Kyle Pascual, also combined to quell Lyceum’s repeated comebacks in the fourth when the Pirates cut the deficit to a single digit.

Tongco, a rookie out of the San Beda Cubs, scored all his eight points in the last 10 minutes while Mendoza and David Semerad combined for six markers.

“We have one of the deepest benches in this league and that is our advantage,” said Anthony Semerad.

The rugged-playing Pirates took control of the match in the early going, taking an 18-14 lead with big man Joseph Gabayni knocking down all his eight points in the first period.

But they failed to sustain their charge in the face of the Red Lions’ strong second half charge as the Pirates, led by Dexter Zamora’s 14 points, fell to 1-2.

In the nightcap, Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz combined for 47 points as Letran snapped a two-game skid with a 79-67 victory over Mapua.

Racal finished with 24 points while Cruz added 23 markers for the Knights, who joined the Pirates and the JRU Bombers at sixth at 1-2 while dealing the Cardinals their third straight defeat.       

The scores:

First Game

San Beda 84 – A. Semerad 20, Amer 12, Pascual 10, Mendoza 9, Adeogun 9, Tongco 8, Koga 7, D. Semerad 6, Sara 2, Solera 1, Cabanag 0, Mocon 0, Abude 0

Lyceum 68 – Zamora 14, Ko 13, Mbbida 12, Bulawan 10, Gabayni 8, Maconocido 5, Lesmoras 2, Taladua 2, Elmejrab 2, Baltazar 0, Soliman 0

Quarterscores: 14-18; 31-27; 53-43; 84-68

Second Game

Letran 79 – Racal 24, Cruz 23, Nambatac 11, Ruaya 8, Publico 4, Castro 2, Saldua 2, Quinto 2, Gabawan 2, Dela Pena 1, Calvo 0, Tambeling 0, Luib 0, Apreku 0, Singontiko 0

Mapua 67 – Saitanan 17, Cantos 12, Biteng 9, Eriobu 9, Canaynay 8, Estrella 4, Isit 2, Gabo 2, Tubiano 2, Serrano 2, Galoso 0

Quarterscores: 16-15; 42-32; 64-52; 79-67