Lions shackle listless Generals

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda held Emilio Aguinaldo College to just 21 second-half points and ran away with an 81-55 victory to stretch its win run to five in the 90th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.

With their offense in full throttle in the last 20 minutes, the Lions also lived up to their billing as the league’s top defensive team, limiting the Generals to a league-tying season low total output.

San Beda also held lowly Mapua to 55 points in a 34-point blowout last July 4.

“It’s our defense that has helped us in notching these victories,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. “In this game, we managed to hold EAC down to just 21 points in the second half .”

Arthur dela Cruz stepped up and dished out a double-double job of 12 points and 11 rebounds as Nigerian Ola Adeogun struggled with eraly fouls  but still finished with 11 markers.

“The second and third teams stepped up, not just the starters,” said Dela Cruz.

St. Benilde, meanwhile, snapped a three-game skid as it shocked last year’s runner-up Letran, 85-71, later in the day.

Paolo Taha unloaded a season-high 24 points, including 12 in the third quarter, when the Blazers pulled away for good.

The Blazers and the Knights actually fought to a tight first quarter but the former cut loose in the next 10 minutes of play then sustained their pace at resumption to build a big 65-51 lead.

The Taft-based squad then traded baskets with the Knights and kept that 14-point bulge till the final buzzer.

The Knights fell to 1-4 in their worst start in years.

The Lions also dominated the boards in the second half, scoring 13-second chance points off 12 offensive rebounds, turning a 42-34 halftime lead to a 64-45 bulge.

Fil-Aussie Anthony Semerad came off the bench and fired a game-high 16 points while Kyle Pascual chipped in 10 markers for the defending four-peat champions.

Baser Amer, the team’s leading scorer with a 15-point norm after four games, found the going tough in offense and ended up with nine points and eight assists.

Rookie Jerald Serrano paced EAC with 12 points while Igee King chipped in 10 markers. But the Generals failed to draw big games from their other starters, particularly Noube Happi of Cameroon and John Tayongtong, who were held to just eight and five points, respectively.

EAC fell to its third defeat against a win.