5-game sweep can give JRU Final 4 incentive in NCAA

Jose Rizal University is just five games away from its goal of at least clinching a playoff for the No. 2 spot in the 85th NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But in order to fully achieve that, coach Ariel Vanguardia’s Heavy Bombers need to sweep all of their remaining matches starting with the Letran Knights on September 11. "Now we have five more matches to win the twice-to-beat and to at least tie for second place," said Vanguardia after JRU’s 88-70 triumph over Arellano University on Friday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City. Vanguardia will have a week to prepare against the Knights, which JRU managed to pull-off a 69-66 win during the league’s opening day on June 27 at the Araneta Coliseum. JRU and Letran, which even had a mini-rivalry during the 1998 and 1999 finals, went separate ways after that with the Bombers winning six straight games to even share the lead with San Sebastian while the Knights struggled that put them in fourth spot. "It is always a challenge. It is always a battle when you face Letran. You know that you get them at their best every time you face them," said Vanguardia, who is trying to end JRU's 27-year title drought. Against the Chiefs on Friday, the Bombers leaned on the timely baskets of veterans John Wilson, John Agas and Mark Cagoco in turning a close game into a rout. It was a tightly-fought match in the first three quarters that Vanguardia was even called for a technical foul due to continuous complaining. JRU was holding on to a 47-41 lead with 7:31 left in the third when Vanguardia was slapped a technical by referee Bryan Tabanag, who is the husband of Philippine national archery team member Joan Chan-Tabanag. "It fired up my guys after I got a technical." Limiting Gio Ciriacruz’ point production also helped JRU’s cause as Vanguardia said that he consciously focused their defense with James Sena, Marvin Hayes, John Lopez and Jeckster Apinan alternating in guarding the Arellano slotman. "We consciously tried to limit Ciriacruz, who scored 31 points against Letran. Imagine that, that is why I put Sena, Hayes, Lopez and Apinan on him. It worked and we limited him to just 15 markers," said Vanguardia. Wilson paced the Bombers with his 25 points and 12 rebounds while Agas, who drained back-to-back three pointers in the fourth period, finished with 16 markers. Cagoco scored seven of his 15 points also in the final period. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV