Lions roar to easy win vs Stags

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda came out better prepared as it overwhelmed San Sebastian, 88-76, yesterday to sweep the first round of the 86th NCAA basketball tournament before an SRO (standing room only) crowd at The Arena in San Juan.

The tall Lions worked efficiently behind a deeper bench to shackle the Stags to close out the first round elims with an impressive 8-0 (win-loss) record.

“We came in well-prepared. We made stops, got some players out of their game. We scored 88 points and it tells something about our offense,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim.

American giant Sudan Daniel bullied his way to 14 points and a season-high 19 rebounds to more than make up for his disappointments a season ago where the Lions were swept by the Stags in the finals.

“Su (Daniel) had a monster game because he was embarrassed with what happened last year, he was trying to prove a point,” said Lim.

Borgie Hermida, who is playing his last season, came back from a bad start by pouring all his 13 points in the second half. He also finished with a game-high six assists.

Adler dela Rosa, Garvo Lanete and Jake Pascual chipped in 11 points apiece to deal the Stags their first loss after matching the Lions win for win for seven straight games going into their much-anticipated showdown.

Calvin Abueva, who leads in the MVP race, fought the 6-7 Daniel toe to toe and came through with 18 points and 14 boards but he fouled out in the stretch.

The highly physical match was surprisingly one-sided as the Lions dominated the match from start to finish with superb defense and fluid running game.

Earlier, Jose Rizal whipped up a third quarter binge and then held on to turn back a gritty Mapua, 61-54, to seize solo third place with a 6-2 record.

Alex Almario poured 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter when the Bombers defused a furious fightback by the Cardinals while Marvin Hayes and Raycon Kabigting scattered 12 apiece to help seal the win.

Mapua, who was paced by Jason Pascual’s 13 points, took its third setback against five triumphs to fall from a share of No. 3 to solo No. 4.

“It’s a crucial win for us because at least, we get to finish at No. 3 going into the second round,” said Jose Rizal mentor Vergel Meneses.

In juniors’ action, San Beda escaped with an 84-80 win over San Sebastian to finish on top after the first round with a 7-1 card.

Jose Rizal, for its part, edged Mapua, 82-78, in another thriller of a ballgame to jump to a share of second with Perpetual Help on 6-2 marks.

The Staglets and the Red Robins fell to 4-4 each.