NCAA: Red Lions rule Knights, tighten grip on top spot

The San Beda College Red Lions showed that they were still the kings of the NCAA jungle, overcoming a sluggish start to defeat the host team Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, 68-62, Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Arena. The reigning back-to-back titlists leaned on the efforts of sophomore point guard Baser Amer to buck a lethargic first quarter performance, as they came alive in the second half to post a 10-2 win-loss slate. “They played tough all the time,” said San Beda mentor Ronnie Magsanoc of the Knights, who were up 21-17 after the first 10 minutes of play. “But I’m really happy my players were able to respond in crunch time.” The Red Lions roared back with a 10-0 run, capped by a Kyle Pascual lay-up and an Anjo Caram three-pointer, to give themselves a 36-28 lead with a few minutes remaining before the first half. Jake Pascual piled on the points, scoring on a jumper to help San Beda close the first half ahead, 43-32. Kevin Alas led the Knights’ uprising, closing the gap with a triple at the end of the third period to trim the Red Lions' advantage to 57-51, entering the final period. However, Letran was unable to build on their momentum, allowing San Beda to stretch their advantage back to double-digits, 65-55, halfway through the final quarter. Ola Adeogun made two free throws with 58.1 seconds left, part of his 12 markers, to make it a nine-point game, 67-58, but Alas nailed another deuce to narrow the gap to seven, just eight seconds after. But the game was marred after a series of fouls, as fans expressed their disgust at the level of officiating by hurling coins onto the court, scattering the playing area with loose change. Once tournament officials calmed down the spectators, San Beda sealed the deal with a charity, as Letran failed to score down the stretch. The loss sent Letran back to the .500 mark at 6-6, with six more games remaining in the elimination round. Kevin Alas stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Kevin Racal added another 14 makers, but San Beda simply had more firepower. The last time Letran won over San Beda was back in the first round of Season 83, on July 25, 2007. Art Dela Cruz led SBC with 14 points and seven boards, while Baser Amer had 11 points and six dimes. - AMD, GMA News The scores: SBC 68 — Dela Cruz 14, Adeogun 12, Dela Rosa 11, Amer 11, Caram 8, K.Pascual 8, J.Pascual 2, Villaruz 2, Koga 0, Lim 0 CSJL 62 — K.Alas 14, Racal 14, Cruz 11, Cortes 10,  J.Alas 6, Luib 3, Almazan 2, Belorio 2, Lituania 0,Gabawan 0 Quarter scoring: 17-21, 43-32, 57-51, 68-62