Pirates topple Knights; Stags thump Generals

Games tomorrow 

4 p.m. – St. Benilde vs Mapua

6 p.m. – EAC vs Perpetual Help

MANILA, Philippines - Lyceum rode on Cameroonian Aziz Mbomiko’s solid game-long effort and then went to Jeremiah Taladua in the stretch as it eked out a shock 80-76 victory over league leader Letran to breathe life to its flickering Final Four hopes in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan last night.

Mbomiko, who tried out for the team but was not recruited unlike the other African reinforcements out there, had a career 22-point, seven-rebound and five-steal effort while Taladua scored his team’s last four points to seal it for the Pirates.

While the win improved Lyceum’s record to 4-7 (win-loss), it also dealt its Intramuros neighbor its second loss against nine wins to stay just half a game ahead of second-running Perpetual Help and San Beda (8-2).

The Pirates also became the first team to beat the Knights and the Lions, last year’s finals protagonists, this year after also stunning San Beda, 70-66, in the first round last June 24.

In the first game, San Sebastian College went on a scoring binge in the fourth quarter as it demolished Emilio Aguinaldo College, 90-69, to barge into the Magic Four with Jose Rizal University.

The Stags bucked a sluggish start as they toughened up on defense in the fourth, setting up a series of runs en route to the runaway triumph, their fifth against the same number losses for joint fourth with the Heavy Bombers.

“We forced turnovers, we made stops leading to transition points, those things helped us get the win,” said San Sebastian coach Topex Robinson.

Jon Kervin Ortuoste and skipper Jovit dela Cruz led the attack with 27 and 25 points, respectively, pouring in the bulk in the last quarter as the Stags turned what had been a close contest into a ghastly rout.

The Stags trailed in the first quarter, 13-20, grabbed a 43-40 lead at the turn and were just up by six at 61-55 after three quarters before outscoring the Generals, 29-14, in the last 10 minutes of play.

Ortuoste went 11 of 22 from the field while Dela Cruz also hauled down 11 rebounds and dished off three assists that drew praises from their coach.

“I’m happy that Jamil and Jovit delivered. But the rest also stepped up. I told them that what works best for us is playing together in offense and defense,” said Robinson.

The Stags also posted a season-high 14 blocks, including six from 6-8 rookie Ranimark Tano, who also finished with six points and six rebounds.

San Sebastian leads the league in shot blocks with 4.89 per game.

Cameroonian Noube Happi, currently in the top five in the MVP race, had 16 points for the Generals, who opened the game on attack mode only to get slowed down by the tough-defending Stags.