NCAA: Red Lions devour Altas for 5th straight win

San Beda dominated University of Perpetual Help at both ends of the floor to complete a 101-77 rout in the second game of the 86th NCAA men's basketball tournament on Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan City. Red Lions big man Sudan Daniel turned the game into a block party as the 6-foot-7 American center toyed with his defenders to finish with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks to lead the Frankie Lim-coached squad to their fifth straight win. Defending champion San Sebastian is the other team that remains undefeated this season with a 4-0 card. Daniel’s rare triple-double effort was too much for the Altas, who remain winless after six games. “He’s (Daniel) a monster. He really showed his presence inside," said Lim. With Lim expecting an easy game for his Lions, he did not even started Daniel and inserted his American import with three minutes left in the first quarter. And from there, Daniel asserted himself in the shaded lane where his presence took away the undersized Altas’ inside game. He contested Perpetual’s every shot attempt to help the Lions erect a commanding 29-point lead in the second half. “This is a very emotional season for us because we want to get the title back to San Beda," said Daniel. “Coach (Lim) said that we must not take (Perpetual Help) lightly because they’re a good team." Before the game, Daniel averaged only 8.5 points and 3.7 blocks. It was the third time that he grabbed 10 or more rebounds this season and posted his second double-double performance. San Beda’s 5-0 start is its best since winning the same number of games on their way to win its second straight title in 2007, the year where Lim began coaching the team. Former RP Youth team standout Jaypee Mendoza scored a team-high 17 points while NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week winner Garvo Lanete added 16. Jake Pascual, who like Daniel came off the bench, chipped in 11 markers. San Beda opened the game with a 12-4 blast highlighted by a Borgie Hermida basket off a Lanete steal and assist with 6:20 left before cruising to a 50-30 halftime spread. Ex-Philippine Christian University guard Jet Vidal paced the Altas with a game-high 21 points while former Dolphin teammate George Allen and rookie transferee Arnold Danganan tallied 11 each. With Emilio Aguinaldo College’s 76-71 win over St. Benilde in the first game, the Las Piñas-based squad remains the only team without a victory this season. – JVP, GMANews.TV