Letran ousts CSB; JRU downs Mapua
THE RACE for the last Final Four berth came down to a two-way fight as Letran and Jose Rizal University eliminated two other hopefuls following separate victories yesterday in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Letran boosted its bid for the semifinal bonus with a 72-60 triumph that also ended St. Benilde’s own Final Four hopes in the first of a double-header at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Also moving closer to its goal, JRU zeroed in on the fourth spot as the Bombers rolled to a 78-64 rout versus an eliminated Mapua side that played minus 6-foot-8 Filipino-Palestininan Yousef Taha.
The twin ouster left JRU (8-9) and idle Lyceum (6-10) as the only teams disputing the last semifinal slot.
San Sebastian (15-1), San Beda (14-2) and Letran (13-3) already secured Final Four berths.
The Letran win was a great follow-up to their monumental win over San Sebastian last Friday.
The Knights were in control of the game in the 1st half, holding the Blazers to only five points in the opening period.
But Carlo Lastimosa and Luis Sinco took advantage of several Letran turnovers in the 3rd quarter to put the Blazers back in the game. CSB briefly took the lead, 37-36, off two free throws from Alison Carlos.
The Knights once again controlled in the fourth period thanks to Kevin Alas, who spurred his team to a 7-0 run to begin the quarter as Letran took a 9-point lead, 54-45.
The victory keeps the Knights’ hopes of taking a twice-to-beat advantage alive. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio
