Knights keep lead; cager shot after game

Games tomorrow (The Arena, San Juan)

4 p.m. – San Sebastian vs EAC

6 p.m. – Perpetual Help vs Mapua

MANILA, Philippines - Letran showed poise anew in times of crisis as it dodged Lyceum’s upset axe to score a runaway 61-53 victory and remain unscathed atop the heap in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

Raymond Almazan turned in another monster performance with 19 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks to help the Knights extend their amazing run to five that kept them comfortably perched on top.

The impressive effort also further put the 6-7 Almazan, who was averaging 12.75 points, 15.5 boards and 2.5 blocks going into this game, well-entrenched at the top of the MVP race while further boosting his stock as a PBA rookie draft applicant this year.

Almazan though thinks it would be better to go out with a championship for his alma mater before he turns pro.

“I hope to help Letran win a championship before I turn pro,” said the 23-year-old Almazan, a cousin of PBA star Kerby Raymundo, in Filipino.

It was another close win for the Knights, whose eight-point effort was the biggest this year and whose average winning margin in their first five outings is 4.4 points.

After leading by 12, the Knights’ offense went sour in a stretch connecting the third and final quarters, allowing the Pirates to claw their way back and cut their deficit to 52-55 on a crucial jumper by Mark Anthony Francisco with 1:45 to go.

Almazan and rookie sensation Rey Nambatac then combined for their team’s last six points that sealed the win and Lyceum’s doom.

The Pirates, who have put the punching bag tag behind them after a solid start that included a giant-size upset of the San Beda Lions early in the season, dictated the pace after the half when they led the Knights, 32-31.

Almost an hour after the win, Letran’s back-up point guard Franz Dysam and his girlfriend were shot inside their car by still unidentified gunmen riding in tandem near the corner of N. Domingo and Araneta Ave., or just a few minutes away from The Arena.

“Yes,” confirmed Letran coach Caloy Garcia.

Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, Letran’s athletic moderator and Management Committee representative, later said Dysam “was shot in the chest by riding in tandem.”

As of press time, Dysam, who averages 2.5 points, 1.5 boards and the same number of assists, was in stable condition while his girlfriend remained unconscious.

In the other game, defending champion San Beda routed Jose Rizal, 65-41, to move to solo second with a 5-1 card.

The Bombers absorbed their third setback in as many triumphs.