Blazers seek another fiery win

St. Benilde seeks to solidify its grip of the top spot as it clashes with San Beda today in the aftermath of its controversial win over Mapua two days ago in the 78th NCAA basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Blazers sealed their eighth win in nine games via forfeiture after the Cardinals walked out in protest over the officiating. A win at 2 p.m. over the Red Lions, whose only win over the Philippine Christian University Dolphins is also via forfeiture, would further firm up their hold of the lead.

The NCAA’s Management Committee chaired by Fr. Bede Hechanova of San Beda was still deliberating at presstime on the sanction it will impose on those involved in the Mapua walk-out.

A source informed The STAR that the meeting was also set to implement major changes in officiating, which has been a target of criticism following a couple of fight-marred games.

To-date, 14 players have been suspended–five from PCU, four each from Mapua and St. Benilde and one from San Beda -- for their direct involvement in a brawl.

The melee started when Al Magpayo was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul for slapping Mapua’s Edsel Feliciano with eight seconds to go in the contest and St. Benilde up, 66-61. Magpayo and Feliciano were then slapped a technical foul each as they kept taunting each other. It triggered a commotion as some players from both benches stormed the court, forcing the referees to penalize both teams with technical fouls.

But what drew the Cardinals’ ire was when officials waived the technical foul called on Magpayo because the unsportsmanlike foul called on him earlier was his fifth and last foul.

Meanwhile, Philippine Christian University (7-2) faces Letran (3-5) at 4 p.m. minus three-players–Alwyn Ilagan, Robert Sanz, and Nelson Gatdula.

Ilagan, Sanz and Gatdula are serving the second of a three-game suspension slapped on them for engaging San Beda’s Erl Merelos to a fist fight in last week’s PCU-San Beda game, which also saw the ejection of all but seven cagers.

Merelos, for his part, is serving the first of a three-game suspension.