Belencion tows Letran to 'Elite 8' of collegiate champions leauge

No RJ Jazul, no problem for Letran as Knights backup guard Jaypee Belencion stepped in to fill the void. Belencion fired a career-best 36 points behind a 10-of-18 shooting from downtown to help Letran oust defending champion La Salle, 83-72, to reach the "Elite 8" of the 2009 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. Aside from Jazul, now playing for Smarth Gilas national team, Letran also missed Rey Guevarra and point guard Kirk Del Rosario to injuries. Belencion, however, was there to star for the Knights. He was responsible for thwarting a La Salle comeback when he drained two of the team's three straight three-pointers that turned a still manageable five-point lead into a commanding 80-66 advantage to seal the win. Belencion's exploits were a far cry from his average in the recent NCAA season where he logged in averages of 5.6 points and 35-percent shooting clip in the 17 games he played. Letran will either face the winner of the match between NCAA champion San Sebastian and CESAFI's University of San Carlos for their quarterfinal opponent. Last year, Letran made it all the way to the Final Four but lost to Ateneo, 61-60. Reymar Gutilban and rookie Kevin Alas backstopped Belencion's heroics with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Joshua Webb paced La Salle with 18 points while Arvie Bringas added 13 in a losing cause. Letran's win came before UAAP titlist Ateneo repulsed Interscholastic Athletic Association winner Lyceum, 73-63, to arrange a showdown with either Jose Rizal University or University of Santo Tomas. Nico Salva led the Blue Eagles with 17 points, Jai Reyes had 13 while Ryan Buenafe chipped in 11 markers. – GMANews.TV