Dolphins inch closer to Final 4

Gabby Espinas bucked a nasty fall in the second quarter as he fired 15 points and snared nine rebounds to power Philippine Christian University to a 67-51 rout of Jose Rizal U yesterday as the defending champions moved closer to a Final Four seat in the 81st NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Astrodome.

The Dolphins rode on an explosive first quarter run then dominated the erratic Heavy Bombers the rest of the way as they coasted to a trouble-free victory — their eighth in 10 games.

There was actually a snag in the second quarter when the high-leaping Espinas, last year’s top rookie and MVP, sustained a knee injury from a bad fall.

But he came back in the second half and spearheaded a series of runs that broke the backs of the Bombers, who reeled to their eighth loss against two wins.

It was a repeat of PCU’s 68-51 triumph over Jose Rizal on July 11 in the first round.

"I’m glad my bench sustained our strong start ," said PCU coach Junel Baculi.

A win against 2004 runner-up Perpetual Help next week will give PCU a seat in the Final Four alongside Letran, which is unbeaten in nine outings.

In the other game, Joferson Gonzales came through with another solid game as Mapua turned back St. Benilde, 75-63, to boost its semis bid with a 6-4 (win-loss) mark.

Gonzales, one of the NCAA stars clashing with the best from the UAAP in the Bantay Bata 163 All-Star Game on Saturday, sizzled with 21 points as the Cardinals bounced back from back-to-back setbacks to firm up their place at No. 3.

Gonzales suffered cramps in the fourth quarter when St. Benilde made a desperate run but the rest of the Muralla-based cagers stepped up to secure the victory.