Red Lions catch pacesetters

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda came away with a 65-43 rout of an undermanned Letran side in a bruising encounter last night to regain a share of the lead with San Sebastian and Jose Rizal U at the close of first round action in the eliminations of the 88th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

Melo Lim, son of former San Beda coach Frankie, hit four triples to topscore with 12 points while Arthur de la Cruz and Nigerian rookie Ola Adeogun added 10 points apiece for the Lions, who forced a three-way tie for the lead with the Stags and the Bombers at 7-2.

The defending champions also made the crucial stops from the perimeter while holding the Knights to a woeful two-of-11 shooting from behind the arc.

“We defended well, especially from the three-point line,” said San Beda coach Ronnie Magsanoc.

Jam Cortes had a double-double performance of 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Knights, who missed big men Raymond Almazan (viral infection) and Jonathan Belorio (league suspension) and dropped to 4-5 in a tie with the Mapua Cardinals.

Adeogun also pulled down six rebounds in 19 minutes of action while fighting off the Knights’ physical defense.

Earlier, Mapua held Arellano U to just three free throws in the fourth quarter as it hammered out a 68-49 victory to close out its first round campaign with a 4-5 (win-loss) slate.

Michael Parala scored a game-high 21 points while the rest of the Cardinals clamped down on defense in the final quarter to turn what had been a close contest into a rout.

“Our defense held on in this game,” said Mapua coach Chito Victolero.

The 24-year-old Parala, meanwhile, provided the needed firepower, delivering the baskets when they mattered most.

“It helped that coach (Victolero) has given us the confidence to take the shots,” said Parala, a Psychology student, in Filipino.

In high school action, defending champion San Beda rode on a sterling performance by former national youth standout Arvin Tolentino as it downed Letran, 86-69, to complete a nine-game sweep of the first round elims.

Tolentino fired a game-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half, as the Cubs rallied from a 29-34 halftime deficit to fashion out the victory.

In the other juniors game, Mapua relied on John Diego’s 19-point, 13-rebound performance as it edged Arellano U, 73-68.

NCAA Notes: After missing seven games, 6-6 center Raymond Almazan is back with Letran. “I will talk with coach Louie tonight (last night) and ask him if he can accept me back,” said Almazan, a member of the NCAA First Mythical Team last year, in Filipino.

The scores:

First Game (Srs)

Mapua 68 – Parala 21, J. Banal 16, G. Banal 10, Nimes 10, Ighalo 6, Chien 3, Cantos 2, Saitanan 0, Brana 0, Eriobu 0

Arellano U 49 – Acidre 20, Bangga 7, Caperal 5, Pinto 4, Hernandez 4, Salcedo 4, Cadavis 3, Forrester 2, Zulueta 0

Quarterscores: 15-10; 33-26; 50-46; 68-49

Second Game (Srs)

San Beda 65 – Lim 12, dela Cruz 10, Adeogun 10, dela Rosa 8, Koga 7, K. Pascual 5, Koga 5, J. Pascual 5, Caram 3, Mendoza 0

Letran 43 – Cortes 12, Lituania 7, Kr. Alas 7, Ke. Alas 6, Racal 5, Cruz 4, Gabawan 2, Luib 0, Cudal 0, Pantin 0

Quarterscores: 14-10; 30-18; 49-32; 65-43