TEAM STANDINGS

GROUP A

1. x-National University (7-0)
2. x-Arellano University (6-1)
3. x-San Beda College (5-2)
4. x-Lyceum of the Philippines University (4-3)
5. Informatics International College (3-4)
6. Trinity University of Asia (2-5)
7. Mapúa Institute of Technology (1-6)
8. Angeles University Foundation (0-7)

GROUP B

1. x-Colegio de San Juan de Letran (6-1)#
2. x-Far Eastern University (5-2)
3. x-University of the East (5-2)
4. x-Our Lady of Fatima University (4-3)
5. San Sebastian College-Recoletos (3-4)
6. Emilio Aguinaldo College (2-5)#
7. STI College (1-6)
8. De La Salle Lipa (0-7)

x-qualifies for quarterfinals
#-Both the Letran Knights and EAC Generals were handed a defeat each in their matchup after a bench-clearing brawl ensued between the sides. Tournament officials thus decided to hand the teams with a defeat.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, February 11 @ Trinity University of Asia Gym

10 a.m. Lyceum vs. Letran
11:30 a.m. NU vs. Fatima
1 p.m. San Beda vs. FEU

Thursday, February 16 @ San Beda College Gym

2 p.m. Arellano vs. UE

Sunday, February 19 @ Trinity University of Asia Gym

1 p.m. Lyceum/Letran vs. San Beda/FEU
2:30 p.m. NU/Fatima vs. Arellano/UE

Saturday, February 25 @ Trinity University of Asia Gym

12 nn Finals

Nike Basketball Christmas Collection

Christmas day has become the canvas for special Nike Basketball colorways and the 2011 Christmas Day games are sure to delight basketball fans around the world.

Kobe Bryant will push the boundaries by wearing a purple and lime green version of the Nike Zoom Kobe VII System (Attack Fast) with special graphics representing the speed of the leopard with red laces.

LeBron James goes a bit more traditional with a red upper, white midsole and green lace version of the LEBRON 9. Kevin Durant will wear a metalized-effect version of the Nike Zoom KD IV inspired by copper cookie cutters. And Amar’e will sport a predominantly green version of the Nike Air Max Sweep Thru paying heritage to New York’s Christmas Day uniforms.

Additional technical details of each Nike Basketball signature shoe include:

Nike Kobe VII System Supreme edition features a performance system that allows players to customize the shoe, switching ankle support and midfoot cushioning.  Two interchangeable insert options are offered to match their style of play.

If a player’s game is based on speed, there is the Attack Fast insert that features a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units that combined with low-cut, power-stretch cuff offers the ultimate in lightweight responsiveness and support.

For games that get intense and physical in the paint, there is the Attack Strong insert. It offers a full-length Cushlon midsole and an ankle cuff for a plush, comfortable ride with great support.  The Nike Kobe VII design also tells a predator story that’s inspired by Kobe’s predator-like instinct on the court.

LeBron 9 is the first Nike shoe to combine Flywire technology and Hyperfuse construction in the upper. A midfoot harness that wraps around the foot incorporates Flywire 3.0 technology that adds strength and lock down support to breathability and durability.

This lightweight upper mimics the speed and strength symbolic of LeBron’s game.  The finely-tuned midsole provides a unique hybrid cushioning system by combining Max Air 180 in the heel for absorption on impact with a Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot for a springy response.

Kobe VII Christmas 2011 Edition

Nike Zoom KD IV incorporates the new Adaptive Fit system that provides a superior lock-down fit and lateral support. The combination of Hyperfuse on the upper, Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot and low collar design offers lightweight, low-profile responsive cushioning and optimal support and flexibility which makes this a versatile shoe for multiple positions on the court.

Created with direct insights from Kevin Durant and his lineage, the Nike Zoom KD IV pays tribute to his team and family with design details.

Nike Air Max Sweep Thru has a lock-down fit made to support and cushion for explosive play with a blend of stability and comfort. An adjustable strap at the midfoot provides a snug, secure fit while the Max Air unit in the heel offers incredible cushioning and impact protection.

Additional features include a leather upper for a supportive and comfortable fit, a herringbone pattern and pivot circle on the outsole for traction during multidirectional movement, and perforations at upper for enhanced breathability.

FOR the first time in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League’s nine-year history, a team from the NCAA finished the season lifting the Manuel V. Pangilinan Perpetual Trophy.

The San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags used a 13-3 run at the beginning of the second quarter to jump ahead of the Ateneo de Manila University and made the scoring binge count in the stretch run to hold off the UAAP champions until the final buzzer, 73-67 at the Arena in San Juan last December 15.

Prior to the game, Stags head coach Topex Robinson outlined a three-part formula: “Play hard on defense, play smart on playing through the calls and have fun in winning this championship.” The result was the Stags’ first title since their 2009 NCAA championship.

Leading by a point after the first quarter, a Stags quintet that didn’t have both Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang on the floor wrecked havoc, getting seven from AJ Vitug and four from Michael Miranda to lead 30-19 with 7:10 left in the first half. It took a triple with 42 seconds left in the second period from Oping Sumalinog to finally get the deficit below double-digits, sending the Blue Eagles into the lockers at the break down 36-29.

In the third quarter, two charities by the NCAA MVP Abueva made it a 12-point lead once more, 47-35 before the Blue Eagles turned to third-year point guard Juami Tiongson for firepower. The spitfire delivered, scoring 11 in the latter half of the third. WIth 10 minutes left in the game, Ateneo went with a lineup of JP Erram, Justin Chua, Nico Salva, Kiefer Ravena and Tiongson, and it seemed to be a combination that clicked. The five doubled their San Sebastian counterparts’ offense, 8-4, slicing the lead down to 61-57 with 6:17 left to play. But, with Ateneo in a zone defense, Jonathan Semira, who had missed the bulk of the NCAA season with an ACL injury, nailed his only shot of the game, a whopping three-pointer that was later followed up by an outside shot from Abueva, pushing the Stag advantage back to 67-59. Said Robinson of Semira’s comeback, “He gave me a call, and told me, ‘coach, I can play?’ In the practice yesterday, he was making his shots [so] I told him, let’s go for it.”

Ateneo reinserted Greg Slaughter to the court and the early penalty situation of the Stags allowed the Blue Eagles to pound the ball inside. Three consecutive trips to the foul line in three possessions resulted in a 5-for-6 clip, trimming the deficit to 71-67, with 1:09 to play. On the other end, tight defense forced Sangalang to hoist up a triple to avoid the buzzer. That missed its mark, but Ateneo was no better off a timeout as Ravena and Tiongson both missed their attempts. Forced to foul, Ravena put Abueva on the line where he split his charities, hiking the lead to 72-67 with 23 seconds left. Ateneo head coach Norman Black sued for time once more, but the result was still the same as Tiongson missed his desperation triple. With 13 seconds left, Abueva was again sent to the stripe. There, he earned another split that sealed the final score and victory.

Abueva was his usual beastly self, leading all scorers with a massive double-double of 20 points and 20 rebounds, while also dishing out three assists and swatting three shots. Sangalang added 19 markers and 15 boards, while veteran floor general Anthony del Rio added 10 points. It was a massive upset by the Stags, who won without scoring machine Ronald Pascual, a victim of a torn left ACL in his squad’s first game PCCL Final Four game against San Beda. “I just told them to take this opportunity to showcase their talents,” said Robinson. “I told them we can’t win it if we’re just going to keep scoring on these guys. We have to make stops.”

Tiongson and graduating guard Kirk Long scored 11 each. Slaughter played just 20 minutes but managed 10 points, five rebounds and two swats. The other two parts of Ateneo’s scoring trio, Kiefer Ravena and Nico Salva, had poor outings, combining for 12 points on an appalling 3-of-25 shooting clip.

Despite spending the entire game once more in a zone defense, San Sebastian still managed to dominate the glass, getting a 54-33 edge on the boards, including 18-12 on the offensive end. The Stags were also sharper from the free throw line, making 15-of-19 charities compared to the 13-of-20 clip by the normally steady-handed Blue Eagles.

The title was Robinson’s first with the Stags, a win that he says validates his position as head coach. “I was doubting my capabilities after that championship [loss] versus San Beda [in the NCAA]. I was telling myself, ‘is it really for me?’ Are the players really believing in me? With this…victory, it’s something I can hold onto for the next season.” Robinson also walked away with the title of the PCCL’s “Best Coach”.

Robinson also confirmed that the Stags’ Pampanga Trio will all be coming back next season. “For sure, they’ll be back. It’s something that they told us that they’re going to be back. Maybe, after this victory, it will also be a good thing for them to realize [that] as long as we play as a team defensively, we can beat teams.”

The tournament’s Mythical Five was dominated by players in the finals series, with Salva and Slaughter of the Blue Eagles making it with Abueva and Sangalang, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for his consistent presence down in the post. 6’10″ Junemar Fajardo was the sole representative of the University of Cebu Webmasters, the other PCCL semifinalist.

The scores:

San Sebastian 73 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 19, del Rio 10, Vitug 9, Miranda 6, Maiquez 4, Semira 3, Jo. dela Cruz 2

Ateneo 67 – Long 11, Tiongson 11, Slaughter 10, Erram 9, Monfort 8, Ravena 7, Salva 5, Sumalinog 3, Gonzaga 3, Golla 0, Chua 0, Austria 0

Quarter scoring: 17-16, 36-29, 57-49, 73-67

Nike Zoom Kobe VII Stong

Available starting December 26, the Nike Kobe VII System Supreme is a performance system allowing players to customize the shoe, switching ankle support and midfoot cushioning.

The Nike Kobe VII System Supreme edition includes two interchangeable insert options allowing players to switch out the cushioning and ankle support to match their style of play.

Attack fast

If a player’s game is based on speed, there is the Attack Fast insert that features a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units in the forefoot and heel for the ultimate in lightweight responsiveness.

It also has a low-cut, power-stretch cuff that hugs the foot for support. Its sock-like fit eliminates the need for a traditional tongue and innersleeve, keeping the shoe lightweight.

Attack strong

For games that get intense and physical in the paint, there is the Attack Strong insert. It offers a full-length Cushlon midsole and an ankle cuff for a plush, comfortable ride with great support.  The sensory cuffs are made of an engineered power-stretch material that is padded and perforated for comfort and ventilation.

These two midsole options allow players to customize footwear during practice or in a game to meet their performance needs.  The Nike Kobe VII System Supreme offers similar performance fit and feel as the Kobe V and Kobe VI, but offers a different look and includes additional performance customization.

In addition to the customizable insert options, next-generation Flywire technology provides lock-down support, a 3-D heel clip offers enhanced support, and a glass reinforced composite shank in the midsole gives responsive midfoot support.

The Nike Kobe VII also tells a predator story that’s inspired by Kobe’s predator-like instinct. Predator patterns comes to life in the cast polyurethane outer shell as a “skin” simulating the look of three predator patterns mixed together – the Leopard, Great White Shark and Black Mamba.  This raised skin pattern lives on each shoe.

Separately, a graphic pattern also lives under the “skin” on some colorways.  These color graphics are available for five different predators – the Leopard, Great White Shark, Poison Dart Frog and Grey Wolf.

NIKEiD will bring full customization to the Kobe VII System this year, featuring multiple ways to build the system. Customization options include choices for fit, cushioning and colors.  An exclusive sneak preview of the Kobe VII System iD debuts on December 12 via NIKEiD’s Facebook page. Full customization of the Kobe VII System and component insert is available beginning December 22 on NIKEiD.com.

Nike has partnered with the videogame NBA 2K12, from 2K Sports, to integrate the Nike Zoom Kobe VII System.  Beginning December 22 within the NBA 2K12 videogame, the shoe will release in unison with key retailers. Additional Kobe VII colorways will launch in the game at key moments throughout the year.

In addition to the Nike Kobe VII Supreme System, the Kobe VII is also sold in the Attack Fast version featuring the low-cut cuff and Nike Zoom air, without the Attack Strong insert.

Nike Kobe VII System Supreme: Php8,195.00

Attack Fast and Attack Strong version.  Comes with two midsoles and sleeve heights.  The Attack Fast midsole contains Zoom Air in the forefoot and heel.  The Attack Strong midsole is Cushlon, and contains no air.

Nike Zoom Kobe VII System: Php7,495.00

The Attack Fast version.  Comes with a single midsole with Zoom Air in the forefoot and heel.

THE Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles finally pinned a loss on the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

The reigning, four-time UAAP champions forced the NCAA runners-up and Luzon-Metro Manila bracket champions to burn their twice to beat advantage, forging a winner-takes-all game for the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League title via a 56-51 last December 12 at the Arena in San Juan.

“The game was not very pretty, but as a coach, you take it any way you can get it,” said Ateneo head coach Norman Black, who used similar words to describe their close win over a depleted San Beda Red Lions team last week. “At least, it puts us in a position to be able to win a championship again.”

Both teams shot below 35 percent from the field after the opening 20 minutes, though Ateneo managed a slim 26-23 lead at the break. It was quickly overturned, however, as six straight points from San Sebastian opened the third quarter. The Blue Eagles countered with six unanswered of their own, but a transition score from Jovit dela Cruz and a putback by Ian Sangalang handed the Stags the edge, 33-32. It was at that point that the Blue Eagles caught fire, peeling off a 10-1 blast that had it at 42-34 with 4:43 left in the period. The momentum swing didn’t last long, though, as JP Erram was hit with his fourth foul while fighting for a rebound. He was then tagged with a technical foul, his second of the game, for tripping Michael Miranda, prompting his ejection and giving San Sebastian four free throws and an extra possession. But, the Stags were unable to capitalize, converting just one charity and missing on their next shot.

Nursing a 46-39 deficit, the Stags began the final quarter by eating away at the Ateneo advantage. After a long rest on the bench due to an injured left thigh, Calvin Abueva hit an improbable triple with Nico Salva draped all over him that sliced the lead down to 46-42. That began an extended drought for the Blue Eagles as they went scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter until Kiefer Ravena knotted things at 48-all via the free throw line. A floater by Abueva gave the lead back to the Stags, but, it was temporary as Salva and Ravena dropped five straight. Abueva, the 2011 NCAA MVP, and graduating stopper Kirk Long exchanged splits at the foul line thereafter, handing the Blue and White a 54-51 advantage with less than a minute and a half left. That’s when the game turned on its head. With 1:04 remaining, Oping Sumalinog poked the ball out of Abueva’s possession. The King Stag was then whistled for his fifth trying to recapture the ball. On his way back to the bench, the controversial forward seemingly bumped into the referee intentionally, resulting in a technical foul levied on top of the prior whistle. That also led to Abueva’s ejection as it was his second technical in the game, allowing the Blue Eagles to boost their lead by two more points, 56-51, a count that withstood the game’s last moments as the Blue Eagles clamped down hard on the Stags quintet.

Salva led all scorers with 18 points and five rebounds, as the UAAP Finals MVP got multiple open looks from the high post against the Stags’ zone defense. “Nico operates very well from that position so he really produced for us offensively on a day when everyone else struggled,” noted Black. UAAP Rookie of the Year Ravena added 10 points, five boards and four dimes, while Greg Slaughter managed just seven markers, but made up for it with 14 boards.

Though he played just 27 minutes due to a combination of foul trouble and slight injury, Abueva managed 16 to lead his team, plus 10 rebounds and three assists. Dela Cruz added 11, while Ian Sangalang and AJ Vitug had nine each.

After committing just 12 turnovers versus the NCAA champion Red Lions the entire game, the Stags got into the Blue Eagles’ passing lanes and forced 26 turnovers, which led to 22 turnover points. Ultimately, though, Ateneo was able to get and convert more charities, going 13-of-20 from the stripe versus the 5-of-13 clip by San Sebastian.

The rubber match between these two squads will be held on Thursday, December 15, at 3:30 p.m. San Sebastian is shooting to become the first NCAA squad to take home the PCCL national title, while the Blue Eagles are looking for their third straight trophy and fourth in five years. Both Erram and Abueva will be suiting up for that game, as the PCCL rules have no provisions for suspending ejected players.

The scores:

Ateneo 56 – Salva 18, Ravena 10, Slaughter 7, Long 7, Gonzaga 5, Sumalinog 3, Golla 2, Chua 2, Tiongson 2, Austria 0, Erram 0, Monfort 0

San Sebastian 51 – Abueva 16, dela Cruz 11, Sangalang 9, Vitug 9, del Rio 2, Ferrer 2, Miranda 2, Maiquez 0, Balacunag 0

Quarter scoring: 11-9, 26-23, 46-39, 56-51

IN the battle for third place, Goliath found himself toppled by a group of Davids.

The smaller San Beda College Red Lions leaned on the hot shooting of their guards to topple 6’10″ Junemar Fajardo, who had his best game of the tournament, and the rest of the University of Cebu Webmasters, 82-69 in 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League battle for third last December 12 at the Arena in San Juan.

After watching San Beda make the first two scores of the game, the Webmasters answered with six straight to take the first of their only two leads in the game, 6-4 at the 6:52-mark on a triple by Robinson Mohammad. Down 22-17 after the first quarter, another Mohammad triple got paired with one by do-it-all point guard Brian Heruela, making it 23-22 in favor of UC. Outside of those occasions, the game swung back and forth as the two teams got deadlocked thrice in the period. San Beda managed to pull away, however, on a series of transition scores and a triple by reserve floor general Paolo Pontejos to lead by eight at the break, 44-36.

The third quarter saw the reigning, back-to-back NCAA champs extend their lead to 54-43 on a Baser Amer basket. Things went from bad to worse for the Webmasters when Heruela was whistled for his fourth personal on an offensive foul while trying to operate in the post. But the Southern Islands overall champions and back-to-back CESAFI titleholders reeled off six unanswered and sliced the deficit to five, 54-49 on a putback by CESAFI Mythical Five selection Luigi Bercede. But, the rally was short-lived. By the start of the fourth, the San Beda advantage was back up to double-digits, 63-50. With the game on the line, Heruela exploded for 10 fourth quarter points. Combined with baskets by Fajardo, UC hacked away at the Red Lions’ lead and trimmed it to just five, 74-69, with 2:01 left before going scoreless from then on as Rome de la Rosa and Mar Villahermosa placed the finishing touches on the San Beda victory, scoring eight to close things out.

De la Rosa top-scored for his team with 21 points, making nine of his 14 attempts while also collaring seven boards. Villahermosa stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Pontejos, Amer, Anjo Caram, Melo Lim and Ryusei Koga, the five-man rotation in the San Beda backcourt, combined for 31 of their team’s 82 markers.

Playing 38 minutes, Fajardo, in his last game as a Webmaster, tallied a monstrous double-double of 24 points and 24 rebounds. Heruela added 20 points, nine boards, four dimes and two swipes, and Mohammad dropped 14, but needed 12 attempts, including 11 looks outside the arc, to get them. CESAFI All-Star Edward Pao, who led his squad to a win over San Sebastian the week before, played all but a single minute, but went scoreless in the process, missing all six of his field goals.

The game was a contrast in styles as the Webmasters got 20 points off 20 offensive rebounds and gave the Red Lions just seven additional looks at the basket, none of which led to points. However, UC could not keep up with San Beda, as head coach Frankie Lim’s unit leaned on its speed for 22 transition points and 30 points off turnovers.

Despite multiple players being unavailable due to an assortment of reasons, San Beda was able to take home third place , an improvement over its Elite Eight finish a year ago. The University of Cebu on the other hand, once again ended their PCCL campaign in fourth place, unable to improve on last year’s standing.

The scores:

San Beda 82 – De la Rosa 21, Villahermosa 14, Pontejos 9, K. Pascual 8, Amer 8, Caram 6, Marcelo 6, Lim 5, Koga 3, Sorela 1

UC 69 – Fajardo 24, Heruela 20, Mohammad 14, Bercede 9, Aranas 2, Batino 0, Ampoon 0, Pao 0

Quarter scoring: 22-17, 44-36, 61-50, 82-69

ATENEO de Manila University will get a chance to defend its Philippine Collegiate Champions League crown.

The back-to-back national champions and reigning four-time UAAP titleholders advanced to the Finals of this year’s PCCL with a 76-63 victory over the two-time NCAA victors San Beda College in the final game of the round-robin Final Four last December 9, at the Arena in San Juan.

“Once again, our defense held up, something that did not happen against San Sebastian. As long as our defense holds up, we have a chance to win,” said Ateneo head coach Norman Black.

In a game Black described as “not very pretty, particularly in the end,” the beginning was actually no better as the Red Lions zoomed out to a 7-0 start. The quick deficit served to wake up the Blue Eagles, though, as they countered with a 15-2 run, snatching the lead away from San Beda for good, 15-9, behind Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva.

Six more unanswered from a Kiefer Ravena-led second unit gave Ateneo its first double-digit lead, 29-19, forcing San Beda to call for time with 7:43 left in the second. Though it got a quick five points out of it, Ateneo came back to create enough separation, 37-28 entering the break. The Blue Eagles then unleashed another huge run out of halftime, zooming out to their biggest advantage, 47-31, all courtesy of Slaughter and Salva. The Red Lions countered with the fiery shooting of Mar Villahermosa, who almost single-handedly kept San Beda in the game. His split at the line trimmed the gap to 51-44 late in the third.

Unfortunately for San Beda, the Blue Eagles halted all their attempts to eat into the deficit, with Ravena’s scoring prowess proving to be the key. An and-one play by Tonino Gonzaga, off a Slaughter assist, upped the lead back to 68-55 with 4:32 remaining. A charity by Dave Marcelo and a transition score by Rome de la Rosa brought the lead back down to 10 once more before the troika of Ravena, Slaughter and Salva each scored a field goal that padded the advantage to 74-58, a big enough gap with 1:24 left on the clock. Some sloppy turnovers by Ateneo allowed San Beda to score a quick five points. But with 27.4 seconds left, a Kirk Long steal led to a run-out by Nico Salva, who flushed the ball down the hoop for the capper.

Slaughter led the Blue Eagles with 20 points and eight rebounds. Assuming the point guard position again, Ravena tallied 18 points, three boards and four dimes. UAAP Finals MVP Salva added 17 and eight. After combining for a single point in the fourth quarter versus San Sebastian, Ateneo’s three best players accounted for 16 in the final period, quashing the possibility of a last-minute rally by San Beda.

Ateneo very nearly had a monkey wrech thrown into their plans of a third straight title as the team assembled piecemeal due to the poor weather outside. With just an hour left before the 4 p.m. tipoff, barely half the team had made it to the venue. “We had half the team come in late today because of the rain and traffic and I was a little bit concerned about who was going to be part of the starting five,” admitted Black, who himself arrived just 25 minutes before the start of the game. Luckily though, only Bacon Austria was significantly delayed, arriving at the start of the second quarter. Emman Monfort missed the game entirely due to PBA D-League commitments.

Villahermosa had a game-best 21 markers, 10 coming in the third quarter, for the depleted Red and White. De la Rosa added 14 while Marcelo, who played alongside most of the Blue Eagles in that victorious Southeast Asian Games team, had seven and three boards. Many expected 2010 NCAA MVP Sudan Daniel to finally get onto the court to match up against Slaughter, but the American was in civilian wear on the sideline, as was Jake Pascual (stomach ailment) and Garvo Lanete (shoulder).

With the victory, Ateneo advanced to the finals against the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, who possess a twice-to-beat advantage. It’s actually familiar territory for the Eagles, who were down 1-0 against the FEU Tamaraws and the Adamson Falcons respectively, in the last two PCCL Finals before taking the crown on both occassions. That game will take place on Monday, December 12 at 4 p.m.

The Red Lions will also play for third place on that same day, at 2 p.m., against the University of Cebu Webmasters, whom they dispatched earlier in the Final Four, 83-77.

The scores:

Ateneo 76 – Slaughter 20, Ravena 18, Salva 17, Chua 6, Gonzaga 5, Austria 4, Long 4, Tiongson 2, Golla 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0, Erram 0

San Beda 63 – Villahermosa 21, de la Rosa 14, Marcelo 7, Pascual 6, Amer 6, Lim 5, Caram 4, Sorela 0, Koga 0, Pontejos 0

Quarter scoring: 23-19, 37-28, 55-44, 76-63

THE University of Cebu Webmasters will not be going home without a win under their belt.

With their inside-outside game clicking, the back-to-back champions of the CESAFI and Southern Islands overall winners were able to salvage a victory in the round-robin Final Four of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League, dispatching a San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags squad with nothing to play for, 92-71 last December 8 at the Arena in San Juan.

“Ito yung game na…naglaro sila nang focused. Fluid yung execution sa half-court,” said UC head coach Roehl Gomez.

Having dropped games to the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and the San Beda College Red Lions, the Webmasters were out of the running for a finals spot and thus playing for pride. To that end, some streaky shooting from combo guard Brian Heruela and Edward Pao got UC out to a 17-10 lead, which they were able to extend to 22-17 by the end of the first quarter.

It was in the second period when they began to face opposition from the Stags, the Luzon-Metro Manila regional champs. With the Webmasters continuing to bomb away from downtown, the Stags decided to match them at their own game. Back-to-back triples by AJ Vitug turned a 33-29 deficit into a 35-33 lead, with reserves Kruschev Ferrer and Josh Grilli adding to the barrage to extend the advantage to 41-37. With time winding down, however, a transition bucket by Heruela paved the way for a UC blitz and a 47-45 edge at the break.

The Stags’ effort on both ends left them in the third as successive triples by Heruela towed UC to a 10-point lead, 67-57, with 39 seconds left in the period. All in all, the Stags could only muster 12 points the entire 10 minutes. A 10-2 run at the start of the fourth then doubled UC’s advantage to 20 points, 79-59, as Robinson Mohammad connected from deep territory. In response, Calvin Abueva got to the line on San Sebastian’s next two possessions, splitting the charities both times. When Mohammad found the range for yet another triple, Stags head coach Topex Robinson waved the white flag, taking out his starters with 5:52 left in the game.

Pao stayed on the floor the entire game, as Gomez rode his hot hand, which resulted in 25 points, including an impressive 7-for-12 stint at the three-point line, to go with eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block. Mohammad added 20 markers, converting 6-of-14 triples, while Junemar Fajardo also chimed in with 20 markers, plus 12 rebounds and three swats. Gomez also got double-digit performances from Heruela and Bercede,as the team answered his call for more balance on the offensive end. “Pag hindi ka balanced dito sa Maynila, mahihirapan ka,” he added.

Whatever the outcome of the game, the Stags already had the coveted twice-to-beat advantage in the PCCL Finals, courtesy of UC’s loss to San Beda in the previous gameday. As a result, the coaching staff opted not to risk injury by giving more minutes to their bench. Playing just 23 minutes, Abueva amassed 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Ian Sangalang, logging a minute less, posted just nine points and five boards, four on the offensive end. Ferrer and Vitug scored nine each as well.

After attempting 30 triples versus the Red Lions, UC threw up a whopping 41 shots from outside the three-point arc, this time converting on 16 of them for an impressive 39 percent. That figure matched San Sebastian’s total field goal percentage, as the Stags could not close out quickly enough on the Webmaster snipers. “Kasi sa Cebu, honestly lang, yung teams maliliit ang mga players. So mas mabubuhay ka kung may tira ka sa labas,” explained Gomez, whose three-point shot was money in his pro days in the 90s. “Suwerte lang kami kasi may [Junemar] Fajardo, so you can play in and outside, at mas mahirap i-depensa yun.”

The University of Cebu and San Sebastian College will now wait for the results of tomorrow’s game between Ateneo and San Beda. The winner will go on to face the Stags for the PCCL crown, with the NCAA runners-up in possession of the twice-to-beat advantage. The loser will face off against University of Cebu for third place, with those two games kicking off hostilities on Monday, December 12.

In the curtain-opener, the FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws dispatched a La Salle Greenhills Greenies team that was missing Thomas Torres and AJ Vito, behind UAAP Jrs. Division MVP Jerie Pingoy’s game-high 34 points, plus nine rebounds and seven steals.

The scores:

UC 92 – Pao 25, Mohammad 20, Fajardo 20, Heruela 12, Bercede 12, Auditor 3, Ocariza 0, Batino 0, Ampoon 0

San Sebastian 71 – Abueva 17, Ferrer 9, Sangalang 9, Vitug 9, Grilli 8, del Rio 6, Miranda 4, dela Cruz 4, Balucanag 3, Maiquez 2

Quarter scoring: 22-17, 47-45, 69-57, 92-71

FACED with a zone defense for most of the game, San Beda College took the perimeter looks and made sure the ploy backfired on the University of Cebu in the second half.

After going 3-for-14 from beyond the arc in the game’s first 20 minutes, the reigning, back-to-back NCAA champions rebounded by making half of their 18 triples from halftime onwards, including five out of 10 in the final canto, to outlast the two-time, reigning CESAFI and Southern Islands bracket champion Webmasters, 83-77 in the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League round-robin Final Four phase last December 6 at the Arena in San Juan.

“I think the important thing this afternoon was how we contained the other players [of UC],” said San Beda head coach Frankie Lim after the game. “Fajardo is such a big guy in the paint and we did our best to stop him, but, same thing, he [still] scored 24 points and had 14 rebounds.”

Leading by a point, 57-56, headed into the last quarter, the Webmasters snatched the lead on a pair of Junemar Fajardo baskets down low, 63-60. Rome de la Rosa countered with six in an 8-0 blast, making it 68-63, before an Edward Pao triple got UC within two once more with 6:33 remaining. De la Rosa and rookie point guard Baser Amer continued to bomb away from downtown, keeping their team out ahead. With time winding down, a stop and pop in transition by Gerald Ampoon pulled University of Cebu to within four, 1:34 remaining, 79-75, only to see Mar Villahermosa counter with yet another triple that padded the lead to 82-75 with 1:15 left, essentially putting the nail in UC’s coffin. Off a timeout, Fajardo made the difference five with 1:12 remaining, keeping his team alive. But, on the next possession, the Webmasters were unable to secure the rebound after a missed Villahermosa triple, giving the ball back to San Beda. Another offensive rebound allowed the Red Lions to burn even more clock such that when possession was finally awarded to the CESAFI champions, there were just 34.3 seconds left. And, after a missed triple by Luigi Bercede, all that was left was for the Red Lions to run the clock.

The Webmasters led by five at the start of the game, 9-5, after a triple by Pao, but it was all back and forth from that point on as neither side was able to build a sizable advantage. In the third quarter, a steal and a layup by Dave Marcelo and a transition basket by Villahermosa gave San Beda a 48-43 lead before UC countered with back-to-back triples from Ampoon and Bercede. Yet another triple, this time by Robinson Mohammad, and a post-up move by Brian Heruela, had the Webmasters threatening to enter fourth with the lead, 56-54 before leaving Amer wide open for a triple on the next play, setting up the fourth quarter shootout.

Playing with a depleted line-up, San Beda rode on de la Rosa’s shoulders. The versatile forward posted all-around of 25 points, six boards and five dimes to lead his squad. “Hopefully, that will help us next year,” said Lim, referring to the junior’s improved outside stroke. Villahermosa added 15 points, while blue-chipper Amer contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in one of his best performances in his young collegiate career. It was enough to make up for yet another quiet performance from their big men, Kyle Pascual and Marcelo, who combined for just six markers.

After playing just 14 minutes versus Ateneo the previous day, Fajardo played all but two minutes of the game, scoring 24 points and hauling down 14 boards. But the big man was clearly still feeling the effects of his knee injury, suffered while playing against the SWU Cobras in the Southern Islands final as his explosiveness while playing in Ormoc City seemed to have deserted him. Pao added 17 points, but just three after the break, while CESAFI Mythical Five selection Heruela never got off the floor, playing all 40 minutes and producing 14 points, 11 rebounds, five dimes and two swipes.

Despite playing against the 6’10″ Fajardo, San Beda was able to win the battle of the boards, getting 48 rebounds to the 38 of UC, including an 18 to 9 edge in the offensive rebounds category. The Red Lions were also able to get their running game going, zooming out to a 21 to 7 bubble in transition points.

With the win, San Beda was able to forge a win-or-go-home game for the last spot in the finals on Friday, December 9, against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The winner takes on the San Sebastian Stags, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage regardless of who they face in the championship. “It’s a matter of pride,” said Lim of the match-up. “We’ll see what we can do, and try to limit [Greg] Slaughter and [Kiefer] Ravena.”

Meanwhile, the University of Cebu will look to salvage their trip to the capital city with a win against the Stags on Thursday, December 8, though the result will not have an impact on the two teams’ seeding.

The scores:

San Beda 83 – De la Rosa 25, Villahermosa 15, Amer 14, Sorela 7, Caram 7, Lim 6, Pascual 4, Marcelo 2, Pontejos 2, Koga 1

UC 77 – Fajardo 24, Pao 17, Heruela 14, Ampoon 10, Bercede 7, Mohammad 5, Batino 0, Auditor 0, Aranas 0

Quarter scoring: 20-22, 36-35, 57-56, 83-77

LIGHTNING did not strike twice for Kirk Long.

The fifth-year clutch defensive stalwart buried a second triple from the exact same position that would have won the game for Ateneo de Manila University. Upon review, however, the referees ruled that the ball was still in his hands when the final buzzer sounded, allowing the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags to escape with a pulsating 70-69 win in the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League round-robin Final Four phase last December 6 at the Arena in San Juan.

“I guess i just told them to take this opportunity to try our luck against the number one collegiate team in the country right now. I wasn’t expecting them to be a bit less aggressive on us,” said Stags head coach Topex Robinson. “Hopefully we can come up with the same intensity and aggressiveness against Ateneo if by chance we play them again in the Finals.”

Up by five at the start of the fourth quarter, baskets by reserves Bacon Austria and JP Erram sandwiched a transition layup from Long to give the four-time, reigning UAAP champions a 65-53 lead with 6:05 left in the game. In response, San Sebastian unleashed a massive 13-0 blast capped off by a banked-in shot by 2011 NCAA MVP Calvin Abueva that allowed his squad to take a slim, 66-65 lead with 1:58 left to play. On the next Ateneo possession, Austria missed a triple. But, in their haste to execute a transition play, the Stags found themselves turning the ball over, with Greg Slaughter completing the steal. Settling into their halfcourt scheme, the Blue Eagles got the ball to the seven-footer, drawing the fourth foul of Michael Miranda. The UAAP Mythical Five selection managed just a split but tied the game at 66-all.

The stalemate didn’t last long however, as Ian Sangalang hit a tough turnaround shot in the paint with 53 seconds left to put his squad up by two. Ateneo was unable to force another deadlock after Nico Salva’s hook shot went in and out. With less than two full possessions left on the clock, the Stags went to Sangalang again, who missed his shot. Luckily, teammate Jovit dela Cruz skied for the repossession with 23 seconds left. Forced to foul twice as they weren’t in the penalty yet, the Blue Eagles finally sent dela Cruz to the line, where the sophomore confidently nailed both charities.

But, the game wasn’t over yet, as Long dribbled quickly to his three-point line and launched a bomb that connected, making it just a one-point game. Another Blue Eagle foul sent Sangalang to the stripe with 4.6 seconds left, but the NCAA Defensive Player of the Year missed the first and then intentionally missed the second. The latter turned out to be the difference-maker as Ateneo burned precious time retrieving the loose ball before sending it to Long for the split-second late shot.

Asked if he made any special adjustments during their big run, Robinson told reporters after the game that his instruction was just to play every possession. “On defense, we have to make a stop, pagbaba doon, we have to convert. We didn’t force our shots during those last possessions down the stretch so na-value namin yung every possession given to us.”

Tied after the first quarter and at halftime, some hot shooting by Salva helped the Blue Eagles take a 47-38 advantage in the third, only to watch San Sebastian reel them back in as it got to within a deuce, 53-51, on an outlet play to Miranda. The Blue Eagle reserves responded in kind, as the duo of Erram and Austria dropped five straight to hike their lead to 58-53 before their defense surrendered a jumper on the inbounds play with 3.5 seconds remaining in the period.

Abueva led all scorers with 20 markers while also grabbing a game-best 11 boards. Sangalang added 18 and six, while graduating team captain Anthony del Rio played all but five minutes, orchestrating the offense to the tune of seven assists. The triumph was made even bigger by the fact that the Stags lost their best outside shooter, Ronald Pascual, to an ACL injury on his left knee in their previous game against the San Beda Red Lions. Though Robinson said that the team was still waiting for a second opinion, the first diagnosis indicated a complete ACL tear, Pascual’s second, after suffering one on the opposite knee when he was with Adamson University in the junior ranks.

Greg Slaughter’s 16 points and seven rebounds paced Ateneo, but the team seemed to forget about him as the game went on as he went from scoring eight points in the opening canto to just eight more, including a single point in the fourth quarter, from that point on. Salva added 13, nine in the third quarter and none also in the fourth, while Kiefer Ravena managed 12 markers on eight attempts from the field.

The Stags were able to quell the Blue Eagles’ formidable running game, holding them to just four transition points. They also managed to overcome their biggest enemy of the NCAA tournament, turnovers, committing just 10 mistakes in 40 minutes of play after averaging 21 in their mother league.

With their victory over San Beda and Ateneo and the defeat of the University of Cebu Webmasters at the hands of the Red Lions in the later game, the Stags are assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the PCCL Finals, regardless of the result of their game on Thursday, December 8 against UC. “It’s exciting,” Robinson admitted. “I’m humbled by the experience to play in the PCCL in my first year as a coach. I want to take it as a learning thing to play against coach Norman Black. Everything is a blessing for me and I really appreciate it a lot.”

Ateneo, for its part, must win out against San Beda on December 9 to forge a rematch in the finals against San Sebastian. A loss means the back-to-back, defending PCCL champs must settle for a battle for third place with the Webmasters next week.

The scores:

San Sebastian 70 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 18, dela Cruz 11, Balucanag 8. del Rio 5, Miranda 4, Maiquez 2, Vitug 2, Ferrer 0

Ateneo 69 – Slaughter 16, Salva 13, Ravena 12, Long 9, Erram 8, Austria 6, Monfort 3, Chua 2, Golla 0, Sumalinog 0, Gonzaga 0, Tiongson 0

Quarter scoring: 17-17, 32-32, 53-58, 70-69

WITH tensions between San Sebastian College-Recoletos and San Beda College at an all-time high, their 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League Final Four matchup was like a powder keg, waiting to explode. And explode it did.

The Stags, champions of the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket and NCAA Season 87 runners-up, survived multiple unsportsmanlike fouls, a scary Ronald Pascual injury and a fourth quarter brawl to take an 87-72 win over a depleted Red Lions quintet last December 5 at the Arena in San Juan.

San Sebastian was up 83-70 with 2:23 left in the game when Kyle Pascual’s forearm caught the nape of Calvin Abueva from behind, to which Abueva responded to by swinging his arm, hitting his defender, Rome de la Rosa. Pint-sized Anjo Caram then got into the scrum, which got players and coaches from both teams off their seats and onto the court, as they, along with uniformed security, separated the two parties. Not only were Pascual and Abueva ejected, but four Stags, Josh Grilli, Arvin Vitug, Michael Miranda and Kruschev Ferrer, and two Red Lions, Ryusei Koga and Michole Sorela, were similarly booted from the area for illegally entering the playing court. With both teams depleted, big men Ian Sangalang and Dexter Maiquez hit insurance baskets to prevent any last-minute upsets before arriving at the final score.

“I want to apologize for what happened earlier,” said Stags head coach Topex Robinson of the brawl. ” I was supposed to take control of my players. It’s something so highly emotional, not just with the players, but with the whole community. Same goes for San Beda. Of course, we have to respect their side of the coin….I was on the sidelines [but] if I could get inside and try to pacify them, I would. We were branded as squatters, but I told them [my players], this is basketball. There are other things for that [the fight].”

San Beda got out to an early 22-18 first quarter lead but San Sebastian began the second canto with a 12-2 run that helped erect a 30-24 lead with four minutes gone by. Looking to exploit their height advantage, the Stags went time and time again to Sangalang down low, and he delivered 10 points, part of their 27-12 period before the break.

In the third, seven consecutive points by Abueva, including two triples, gave his side a commanding 20-point advantage, 63-43, before Melo Lim countered with five straight to keep the deficit from getting out of hand. Baser Amer and Koga then continued the push in the fourth as they cut the lead all the way down to 11, 73-62 on some hot outside shooting with 6:40 left. To make matters worse for the Stags, Pascual fell awkwardly and hurt his left knee. He had to be stretchered out and later confirmed to inboundpass that he heard a “pop” before crashing to the floor.

With their best three-point shooter out, Anthony del Rio stepped up to bomb away from downtown, nailing two triples, including a banked attempt, to keep the lead in double-digits. A baseline jumper by Jovit dela Cruz and two charities by Maiquez stretched the lead back to 15, 83-68. Dave Marcelo trimmed it down to 13 with a basket before the fight broke out.

Sangalang’s double-double of 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 12 rebounds led all scorers. Abueva stuffed the stat sheet with a double-double of his own, 19 points and 10 rebounds, plus five dimes. Pascual added 15 before his injury, while dela Cruz also finished in double-digit scoring with 13. Pascual also informed inboundpass about his MRI at St. Luke’s Hospital and check-up with renowned specialist Dr. George Canlas.

San Beda was led by de la Rosa’s 13 points, though nine came in the first quarter. Lim added 10 markers, all scored in the second half. NCAA Finals MVP Marcelo had just seven points, but was immovable in the paint, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking seven shots.

The Red Lions could only suit up 10 players from their championship squad due to a variety of circumstances. Mythical Five member and leading scorer Garvo Lanete injured his shoulder during the Southeast Asian Games and is expected to be out for a few more weeks. Jake Pascual was out sick with a stomach ailment, while Anthony and David Semerad are no longer with the team. 2010 MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Sudan Daniel also watched from the sidelines. Though he did not suit up in this game, he said he expected to play later on in the tournament. “We can’t discredit the hearts of the players that were left,” said Robinson of the Red Lions. “They lose the majority of their players, but they still gave us a good fight.”

Normally a squad that likes to get up and down the court, the Red Lions got a measly two transition points in the game, compared to the 10 posted by San Sebastian. They were also killed on the boards, 52-39, and made just six of their 20 triple attempts, compared to the 7-of-15 clip shot by the Stags.

Both teams will be in action again tomorrow, December 6, with the Stags playing the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Red Lions squaring off against the University of Cebu Webmasters. According to PCCL officials, the ejected players will not be serving any suspensions, which allows them to suit up for their respective games.

The scores:

San Sebastian 87 – Sangalang 20, Abueva 19, Pascual 15, dela Cruz 13, del Rio 8, Maiquez 8, Miranda 4, Balucanag 0, Vitug 0

San Beda 72 – De la Rosa 13, Lim 10, K. Pascual 9, Amer 9, Villahermosa 9, Sorela 8, Marcelo 7, Koga 5, Caram 2, Pontejos 0

Quarter scoring: 18-22, 45-34, 71-54, 87-72

WHAT was billed as a clash of the two titans quickly became a lopsided affair.

Ateneo de Manila University, back-to-back defending champions of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League and reigning four-time UAAP titleholders, blew out the University of Cebu Webmasters, 100-53, in the opening game of the round-robin Final Four of the 2011 PCCL last December 5 at the Arena in San Juan.

“Normally, when we take our break, we normally come back a little bit rusty. But today, Greg [Slaughter] was able to get us off to a very good start. The ball movement at the beginning of the game was very good and our players really displayed a lot of teamwork,” said Ateneo head coach Norman Black.

UC held the lead just once on an Edward Pao triple during the Webmasters’ first possession. But, it was all Ateneo from then on as it answered with a 7-0 blast to go up 9-3. By the end of the first quarter, the Blue Eagles had inflated the lead to 28-10, with eight of 10 players fielded in managing at least two points each.

The Webmasters countered with a big surge against Ateneo’s second unit at the start of the second quarter, getting two triples from Jan Auditor and point-blank shots from 6’10″ center Junemar Fajardo, who came off the bench because of a knee injury he suffered in the finals of the Southern Islands bracket against Southwestern University. That cut the Ateneo lead to under double-digits, 35-26. But the return of the Blue Eagles’ starting unit, with JP Erram manning the power forward spot in lieu of UAAP Finals MVP Nico Salva, held UC to just four more points in the half. On the other side of the court, Ateneo ran the floor efficiently and scored 19, boosting their advantage to 54-30 at the half.

The Blue Eagles continued to roll after the break, holding UC to just a single field goal in nine minutes that bloated the advantage to 80-33. From that point on, it was just a matter of playing out the string as the starters got an early rest, followed by the second-stringers at the 5:07 mark of the fourth when Black decided to insert his third unit to close out the one-sided affair. “Those players are our future,” commented Black. “They may be role players now, but in the future they can be our main players, so it was nice to be able to give them an opportunity to play.”

Greg Slaughter and Salva led all scorers with 18 points each, with Slaughter, the former University of the Visayas Green Lancer, adding 11 rebounds for a double-double. Reserve big man Erram managed 13 markers on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Veteran point guard Emman Monfort was not available due to PBA Developmental League commitments. But, in his place, the starting backcourt of Kiefer Ravena and Tonino Gonzaga combined for 25 markers, eight boards and 15 dimes.

Ateneo was a beast in transition, running out to 27 fastbreak points and 20 points off turnovers as UC could not get back on defense fast enough. Fajardo played just 14 minutes – all in the first half – tallying 12 points and nine rebounds in that span. The big man did not play at all in the second half as Webmasters head coach Roehl Gomez decided on saving his big man for their two other round-robin encounters. Jan Auditor and John Aranas also came off the bench for a combined 21 points, while starting guard Brian Heruela posted across-the-board stats of eight points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Things got heated for a brief moment at the 8:42 mark of the second period when Pao landed an accidental blow on Justin Chua. Though Pao quickly apologized, the referees still ruled on ejecting the starting power forward from the game.

The FInal Four continues tomorrow, December 6, with the two teams matching up against NCAA squads. The Blue Eagles take on the NCAA runners-up, the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, while the Webmasters tangle with the reigning, back-to-back champion San Beda Red Lions.

The scores:

Ateneo 100 – Slaughter 18, Salva 18, Erram 13, Ravena 12, Gonzaga 10, Long 7, Chua 6, Austria 6, Tiongson 4, Capacio 3, Golla 2, Pessumal 1, Estrada 0, Sumalinog 0, Cipriano 0

UC 53 – Fajardo 12, Auditor 11, Aranas 10, Heruela 8, Pao 6, Ampoon 4, Ocariza 2, Mohammad 0, Bagnol 0, Batino 0, Bercede 0

Quarter scoring: 28-10, 54-30, 82-39, 100-53

THE Final Four of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League is complete.

The University of Cebu Webmasters and the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags joined San Beda College and Ateneo de Manila University in the cast of combatants that will compete for a national title in this year’s PCCL after capturing their respective regional tournaments last November 3, at the Ormoc City Superdome in Ormoc City, Leyte.

In the battle to decide the champion of the Southern Islands bracket, the Webmasters dispatched the Southwestern University Cobras 63-58, to prove that their five-game CESAFI Finals triumph over the province’s up-and-comers was no fluke.

The Webmasters got out to a 9-2 start and never let the Cobras taste the lead. Armed with a dominant 57-38 advantage after three quarters, UC seemingly took their foot off the gas pedal, conceding a 16-4 run that saw CESAFI Mythical Five selection Eleazer Armecin and Cameroonian big man Justin Aboude rally their team behind a barrage of scores to pull within 61-54 with 4:38 left.

SWU then caught a huge break as the Webmasters’ star player, the 6’10″ Junemar Fajardo, went down with a right knee injury after getting entangled with Aboude, forcing UC head coach Roehl Gomez to sit his giant down and concede the height advantage to the Cobras. But, in the two and a half minutes Fajardo was out, SWU could not capitalize as both sides shot blanks. Finally, Aboude and Armencin broke the silence with back-to-back baskets that cut the lead to three with under a minute left to play. Off a timeout, UC guard Robinson Mohammad missed a triple. SWU then went to Rene Pacquiao with 33 seconds left, but he missed in the post. The Cobras retained possession, though, and sued for time. Point guard Junrey Ortuyo opted for the quick two but missed his shot. Pulling down the rebound, Ortuyo persisted with another attempt from inside the arc with less than six seconds remaining, only to have the ball swiped from him as he leaped into the air. Forced to foul, SWU needed two blanks from Mohammad, but he made up for his earlier missed triple by nailing both free throws, sealing the win for the reigning, back-to-back CESAFI champions.

The Webmasters were led by Fajardo’s 21 points, but he was ably supported by his teammates. Brian Heruela and Edward Pao, who was coming back from an injury, added 14 each. On the flipside, Armecin and Aboude carried the load for SWU, accounting for 23 and 20, respectively, of their team’s 58-point total. With the likes of CESAFI All-Star selections Monbert Arong and Joseph Nalos, plus Mythical Five member Pacquiao, failing to make their mark, it was a tough loss to swallow for the upset-minded Cobras.

The second game, meanwhile, saw the San Sebastian Stags initially struggle against a short-handed Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights squad that was out to avenge their elimination in the recently concluded NCAA tournament. But the Stags took their offense to a different level in the second half as the so-called Pinatubo Trio accounted for all but four of their team’s third and fourth quarter points en route to an 83-76 win.

Still playing without star player Kevin Alas and head coach Louie Alas, who are both are currently in the U.S., the Knights’ big men took charge early, as Raymond Almazan and Jam Cortes combined for 16 markers in the second period to close out the period on a 9-0 run and send Letran into the half up 47-34.

After exchanging baskets to open the third, the Stags were able to score 10 unanswered, a passage aided by an unsportsmanlike foul from Almazan that netted them four charities that sliced their deficit down to three, 49-46. San Sebastian then tied the game twice, only for Cortes to answer back each time as he gave his side a slim 60-57 lead with a quarter to play. But, with the Knight lead down to a single point, 69-68, Almazan was hit with his fourth foul, and then subsequently tagged with his fifth on a technical for complaining to the referees. That was the time Ronald Pascual took charge of the game, making three of the four free throws and then hitting a triple on the bonus possession to wrest the lead away for good, 74-69, with six minutes left to play. Cortes tried to stymie the rally with a fadeaway basket before Pascual put the exclamation point on the reversal of fortunes by throwing down back-to-back slams in transition to pad the lead to 10, 81-71, essentially clinching the Luzon-Metro Manila regional title for the NCAA runners-up.

All three of San Sebastian’s stars scored at least 20 points, with Abueva leading all scorers with 27, and Pascual and Ian Sangalang contributing 21 each. Cortes, who was a non-factor in Letran’s two previous PCCL matches, top-scored for his side with 23. Almazan added 15 before hitting the bench prematurely. Kevin Racal added 15 as well, including 10 in the first half, while rookie floor general Mark Cruz was limited to just seven points.

The scene shifts back to Manila and the Arena in San Juan, the venue for the PCCL Final Four. After a long series of sudden death, win-or-go home tussle, the four remaining squads will now figure in a single round-robin affair. The two squads with the best records will then advance to the finals, which will see the team with the best record defend a twice-to-beat advantage for the overall crown. Those games will start on Monday, December 5, with the Ateneo Blue Eagles facing off against the UC Webmasters, a team they drubbed in the Final Four of last year’s PCCL, at 2 p.m. Then, at 4 p.m., it will be yet another rematch, this time of this year’s NCAA Finals, between the San Beda Red Lions and the San Sebastian Stags.

The scores:

First game

UC 63 – Fajardo 21, Heruela 14, Pao 14, Bercede 6, Mohammad 5, Ampoon 2, Aranas 1, Batino 0, Caytna 0, Labo-labo 0, Ocariza 0

SWU 58 – Armecin 23, Aboude 20, Guillena 8, Nalos 4, Ortuyo 2, Pacquiao 1, Arong 0, Bregondo 0, Padilla 0, Pineda 0

Quarter scoring: 16-10, 35-22, 57-38, 63-58

Second game

San Sebastian 83 – Abueva 27, Pascual 21, Sangalang 21, Dela Cruz 8, Antipuesto 2, Miranda 2, Maiquez 2, Balucanag 0, del Rio 0, Vitug 0

Letran 76 – Cortes 23, Almazan 15, Racal 15, Cruz 7, Lituania 6, Pantin 5, Belorio 1, Gabawan 2, Gabriel 2, Cudal 0

Quarter scoring: 17-22, 34-47, 57-60, 83-76

CHANGE is a constant in the basketball world, whether it’s a change in players, strategy or the coaching staff. That kind of change struck both the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Arellano University.

Legendary tactician Januario “Aric” del Rosario is back on the sidelines after agreeing to a deal to mentor the Altas, a program that has spent a huge bulk of the past half-decade in the cellar of the NCAA. The man credited for orchestrating the University of Santo Tomas’ historic four-peat from 1993-1996 takes over from Jimwell Gican, who led the depleted squad to a 5-13 record in Season 87.

11.11.11 marked the very first practice of the Altas with del Rosario and his son, Lester. According to him, he was supposed to take the coaching helm as early as Season 87 but turned down the offer as he was still serving as NCAA commissioner and wished to fulfill his duties. “Sabi ko na ‘kung sino yung nakaupo ngayon, patapusin niyo na,” referring to his conversation with current NCAA Chairman and UPHSD President Anthony M. Tamayo. “After the NCAA, kung hindi pa nagbabago yung isip na gusto niyo akong kukunin, tsaka nalang tayo mag-usap.”

Fully aware that he has adopted a team lacking of size, he is now in the process of scouting players initially from the upcoming leagues that will be held within Perpetual Help so as to avoid any eligibility problems.

“May potential talaga yung team na ito. Magaling ang point guard, magaling ang wingman, lugi lang talaga sa big man,” commented del Rosario.

The Altas will also be joining a one-day invitational on November 28 in Pampanga, their very first competitive sortie together as coach and team, and a two-week league in Sorsogon City starting December 1 to foster some chemistry and give del Rosario the opportunity to further assess how the Altas respond to his coaching philosophy.

“Siguro ‘pag nakakuha ng malaki, tapos magiging mas disiplinado mga ito at mababago ang mga ugali, then oo, may chance tayo sa NCAA. Ayoko namang babalik ako sa coaching tapos kulelat ako. Hindi ako sanay na ganoon eh,” del Rosario stressed.

Perpetual Help is in the midst of a series of transitions. Del Rosario, who also steered the Pampanga Dragons to the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association’s inaugural championship in 1998, becomes the Las Piñas unit’s third coach in just under a whole calendar year. The Altas began 2011 with Boris Aldeguer calling the shots before stepping down just a week before the start of Season 87, citing perceived injustices that hounded the eligibility of two of his big men, Marlon Gomez and Paul Nuilan. Gican, one of his assistants, succeeded Aldeguer and instilled a sense of discipline to a team that arguably overachieved by evading the proverbial wooden spoon in the team standings.

Meanwhile, the Arellano Chiefs will also have a new boss bench in 2012 after tapping the services of Koy Banal. Banal, whose last season in collegiate hoops culminated with a title that ended San Beda College’s 28-year championship drought in 2006, replaces Leo Isaac, who posted a 12-22 win-loss record in two years as the Chiefs’ boss bench.

SINCE it began in 2002, the Philippine Collegiate Champions League has never crowned a winner from the NCAA. San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Colegio de San Juan de Letran made sure their league would have a 50-50 shot at snapping that streak this year.

The second- and third-placers respectively in this season’s NCAA tournament dumped their UAAP foes for the right to face each other in the championship game of the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket last November 24 at the Arena in San Juan, as the step-ladder phase to the Final Four winds down in the 2011 PCCL.

In the first game, the Stags were forced into overtime by Adamson University, the UAAP third-placers, before running out of ammunition, falling 85-83 despite leading by as much as 15 points early in the game.

With just a day of practice due to commitments of the players and their head coach to the PBA Developmental League, the Stags started the game flat, conceding a 12-2 run right off the bat. But, out of the halftime break, San Sebastian was able to get to within three points of the Falcons on multiple occasions, as Season 87 MVP Calvin Abueva and Ronald Pascual began to take over. After backup Adamson point guard Ryan Monteclaro hit two charities to make it 47-42 with 3:33 left in the third, the Big Three of San Sebastian came alive, as Ian Sangalang joined the scoring barrage to help his team take a 50-47 lead. The Falcons were not about to go away, however, as Jerick Cañada hit a triple to tie things up, 50-all, only to be answered by a triple from Pascual. After a testy moment between big men Michael Miranda and Rodney Brondial, Cañada went back to work, hitting another triple. Then, off a Stag turnover, he found Mike Agustin for the layup to retake the lead, 55-53 with nine seconds left. That was enough time though for Pascual to can a triple, giving his side the slim 56-55 edge going into the fourth quarter.

There, a furious 12-4 run by the Stags capped off by an Abueva triple put the 2009 NCAA champions in a commanding position, 68-59 with six minutes left in regulation. Adamson rallied back from downtown, hitting three triples and drawing a foul on a triple attempt to stay close, 74-71 with 7.5 seconds remaining. Needing to inbound the ball properly, San Sebastian failed to do just that, as Lyle Antipuesto lost the ball right under the Falcons’ basket. Off a timeout, Cañada issued the inbounds pass to Roider Cabera in the right corner. The sniper faked off Abueva and nailed a clutch triple with 2.2 seconds left that tied the game. That was still enough time for the Stags to make an attempt, and a long inbounds pass found Abueva, who hit a cutting Sangalang at point-blank range from their own hoop. However, the 6’6″ junior failed to nail a close-range attempt, sending the game into overtime.

With five minutes left to settle things, the Stags drew first blood, as Abueva, Sangalang and Pascual teamed up for the period’s first seven points, padding the Stag lead to 81-74. Failing to hit a bevy of three point attempts, Adamson pulled closer through a put-back by Brondial and a transition score by Cañada, cutting San Sebastian’s advantage to three, 83-80 with half a minute to go. After getting hammered on that fastbreak layup, Cañada trooped to the line for the bonus, but missed it. The resulting scrum for the loose ball led to a jumpball, which Adamson won. However, the Falcons couldn’t get anything on the next possession, forcing them to foul. Pascual dutifully made both charities, extending their lead to 85-80 with 11.9 seconds. Hoping for another miracle, Cañada nailed a triple off an offensive board by Cabrera, but left just 1.4 seconds left on the clock. Not wanting a repeat of the end of regulation, the Stags coaching staff called a timeout and got the ball in safely, closing out the game.

Pascual finished with a game-high 29 points while hauling down 16 boards. Abueva added 24 and 22 more to those fields and blocked four shots, while 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Sangalang chipped in with 18 markers, 13 boards and three more swats. “I just told them to avoid too many turnovers because this team is a sharp team,” San Sebastian head coach Topex Robinson said of his halftime adjustments. “They might be tired [having played two days ago], but they’re sharper than us.”

Adamson, which played sans injured top guns Lester Alvarez and Alex Nuyles, was led by Cañada’s near triple-double of 21 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Jan Colina posted 14 markers, seven rebounds and two denials, while Cabrera dropped 11. The heroes of their previous game versus JRU, Janus Lozada and Austin Manyara, managed just six and three points, respectively. The Falcons became victims of their own success. They shot 6-for-15 from beyond the arc in the first half, but became too reliant on the long ball, finishing a dismal 13-for-45 in that category overall.

The second game saw the Letran Knights, playing without Mythical Five selection Kevin Alas and his dad their head coach, Louie Alas, stun Far Eastern University, the UAAP runner-up, 73-64 as their tight defense held the fancied Tams to just seven points in the final period.

In what was largely a game of runs, FEU hauled in a big one in the early part of the second quarter, an 8-0 blast that handed them their largest lead of the game, 33-20, thanks to transition scores by Chris Exciminiano and Terrence Romeo. But the big-small combination of Mythical Five center Raymond Almazan and rookie point guard Mark Cruz combined for 11 from that point until halftime, reducing the deficit to just five points, 40-35.

The Knights caught a lucky break in the third when Cruz hit a triple with 7:04 left in the quarter. RR Garcia, fresh off a victorious stint with Sinag Pilipinas in the Southeast Asian Games, was whistled for a technical foul for trying to trip the shooter. Cruz hit the two charities to tie things up, 44-all. But, on the bonus possession, Garcia made up for his mistake by swiping the ball and scoring in transition, catalyzing a nine-point run. Down 57-48 at the start of the fourth, Letran quickly got to within a point on a VJ Espiritu triple at the 6:27 mark of the quarter, 62-61. FEU countered with an alley-oop play for Russel Escoto on the inbounds with 5:58 left, but that turned out to be its last basket as Letran’s suffocating defense held up all the way until the final buzzer.

Cruz finished with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting, to go with his four assists, while Alamazan once again dominated the interior with a statline that read 14 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks. Jonathan Belorio and Espiritu added eight each for assistant Justino Pinat, who was helping the team in light of Alas’ trip to the US with his son, who is training with an LA-based ABA team.

FEU got 17 markers from Terrence Romeo, who faiuled to tally a single assist in 36 minutes. Cris Tolomia added 11 and Garcia managed eight in 20 minutes after rushing to the Arena after a PBA-DL game. Remarkably, the Knights were able to shut down the normally high-scoring FEU backcourt as Romeo, Tolomia and Garcia went a combined 0-of-9 from the field in that final quarter. FEU’s seven markers came courtesy of Escoto, who scored four, and Carl Cruz, who accounted for the rest.

With the wins, the Stags and the Knights forged a rematch of their NCAA Final Four meeting, which San Sebastian captured on the back of a twice-to-beat advantage after Letran forced a winner-take-all game for the right to play San Beda in the Finals. They’ll see each other at the Ormoc City Astrodome next week, November 30, for the Luzon overall championship and one of the two remaining Final Four spots, which are held by the NCAA Champions San Beda College Red Lions, and the UAAP Champions Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.

The scores:

First game

Letran 73 – Cruz 25, Almazan 14, Belorio 8, Espiritu 8, Racal 5, Lituania 5, Pantin 4, Cortes 4, Gabawan 0

FEU 64 – Romeo 17, Tolomia 11, Cruz 9, Escoto 8, Garcia 8, Exciminiano 5, Knuttel 2, Foronda 2, Bringas 2, Sentcheu 0, Pogoy 0, Mendoza 0

Quarter scoring: 14-20, 35-40, 48-57, 73-64

Second game

San Sebastian 85 – Pascual 29, Abueva 24, Sangalang 18, dela Cruz 8, Antipuesto 2, Maiquez 2, Vitug 2, del Rio 0, Miranda 0, Balucanag 0

Adamson 83 – Cañada 21, Colina 14, Cabrera 11, Camson 8, Petilos 8, Lozada 6, Rios 6, Manyara 3, Brondial 2, Monteclaro 2, Agustin 2, Etrone 0, Manuel 0

Quarter scoring: 11-16, 29-38, 56-55, 74-74, 85-83

TWO teams that narrowly missed out on the finals of their respective leagues eliminated separate opponents to move up the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League last November 22 at the Arena in San Juan.

In the first game, the Adamson University Falcons, who fell to the FEU Tamaraws in the UAAP Final Four despite a twice-to-beat advantage, managed to juggle their roster, buck a sluggish start and overcome the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, 73-58.

“We’re happy na nanalo kami dito considering na yung ibang players, talagang iniisip na after this, we still have a game. In fact, half of our team, yung core namin, tumakbo na para sa Adamson [Gym],” said head coach Leo Austria after the game. Austria also coaches the Freego Jeans team in the PBA Developmental League, which draws heavily from the Adamson lineup. The match between the Falcons and the Heavy Bombers was moved up by a half-hour to 1:30 p.m to accommodate Freego’s 4 p.m. tip-off in the PBA-DL. Coincidentally, two players from JRU, John Lopez and Jeckster Apinan, play for Freego as well.

Up by a point late in the first quarter, the Falcons conceded a 6-0 run to JRU that put the Season 87 fourth placers up 18-13 after 10 minutes of play. Eight straight by the Falcons in the second period allowed them to retake the lead, 21-20, after charities by Austin Manyara. But a triple by Nate Matute and baskets by Apinan and Raycon Kabigting swung things back in favor of the Heavy Bombers at the close of the first half.

Out of the intermission, it was the combination of Manyara down low and Roider Cabera outside that clicked. Cabrera nailed Adamson’s only two triples of the game that triggered the Falcons’ offensive surge. At the onset of the final quarter, reserve big men Apinan and Ralph Monserat cut the deficit to a deuce, 48-46, only to have the Falcons counter with a run of their own that handed them a 55-49. The game-turning moment came at the 4:14 mark. With the shot clock winding down, Manyara was forced to attempt a triple but got bowled over on the shot by Monserat. Not only did Monserat get whistled for the foul, he was also issued an unsportsmanlike foul for kicking Manyara, giving the Falcons five charities plus possession. The Kenyan big man nailed three of the five freebies before a Kabigting triple managed to cut the lead down to single digits again, 60-52. But, on the next play, Jerick Cañada seemed to have stepped on the halfcourt line after being pressured by his defender. The referees let the play go to the dismay of JRU head coach Vergel Meneses, who was hit with a technical foul. The resulting four points, two from Janus Lozada free throws and two from a Manyara putback of a Cañada miss, padded the lead to 66-52 with 2:24 left in the game. A trio of steals by Allen Etrone further compounded JRU’s woes in the final two minutes.

Manyara top-scored for the Falcons, with 12 of his 16 points coming from the foul line where he missed just three of his 15 attempts. The big man also added nine rebounds and a block off the bench. Janus Lozada stuffed the stat sheet with 14 markers, 11 boards, five assists, three steals and a rejection of his own, while Cañada scored 10 in a starting role. UAAP Mythical Five selection Alex Nuyles did not play in the game despite being dressed while floor general Lester Alvarez logged just nine minutes after sustaining an ankle injury.

JRU got 17 points, seven in the fourth quarter, from Jeckster Apinan, along with six rebounds, two steals and a block. The starting duo of Kabigting and John Villarias combined for 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists. However, the Heavy Bombers turned the ball over 22 times to just 15 for the Falcons, and Adamson was able to score 25 points off those errors thanks in part to a tight zone defense Austria employed to close out the second period and entire second half.

In the other game, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights put an end to De La Salle University’s storybook run in the PCCL with a 66-61 victory in the second match.

The Green Archers, who had won their four previous PCCL matches, took the lead in the first quarter on back-to-back scores by Norbert Torres, and held it for the majority of the first half as three quick fouls on NCAA Mythical Five player Kevin Alas prevented Letran’s offense from getting into a groove.

Down 29-25 at the start of the third period, Alas and rookie forward Kevin Racal set the tone for the quarter as the duo looked to attack the rim repeatedly, combining for a 12-of-14 clip at the line while also neutralizing La Salle’s leading scorers, Joshua Webb and Torres. Down by two, 39-37, another rookie, point guard Mark Cruz, then took over for the Knights. The diminutive ex-Letran Squire scored eight of his team’s last 10 points, all of which came from jump shots. At the same time, Letran held La Salle to just three points in that 3:41 span, wresting away the lead, 47-42.

A triple by Cruz and five more points by Racal kicked off the fourth quarter, helping to extend Letran’s advantage to as much as 11, 61-50 with 5:17 left in the game. But the Green Archers took a page out of their opponents’ playbook and began getting to the foul line as well. A 7-of-8 clip at the stripe, followed by a jumper by Almond Vosotros, all went unanswered, towing De La Salle to within two points with 3:05 remaining. Both sides went silent for a minute and a half after that until a burst of speed by Alas allowed him to beat his man and score on a layup that cushioned the Letran lead, 63-59 at the 1:22 mark. Off a timeout, Torres missed down low, but Vosotros was able to swipe the offensive rebound from Alas. On the break, LA Revilla missed his shot, but the referees could not definitively rule on who touched the leather last, resulting in a jumpball. After losing the initial tip, La Salle quickly tied up Jam Cortes for another jump, which the Knights won again. This time, they found a streaking Alas at the other end of the court. Though he missed the shot, big man Raymond Almazan was there for the put-back with 24 seconds left, cushioning the lead to 65-59 and clinching the game for the Knights.

Racal and Alas both scored 14 points each. Cruz added 10 points, five boards, two assists and two steals, while Almazan, another Mythical Five selection and the Most Improved Player of the Year for 2011, hauled down 17 boards and blocked seven shots in 29 minutes. “I think the key was our rebounding,” said their head coach Louie Alas, after the game. “[Because of that] we were able to stop their transition [game].”

La Salle, which is currently retooling with a new head coach in Gee Abanilla, was led by the 16 points and nine rebounds of Torres. Jovet Mendoza, who stepped up when the other Green Archer big men fell to foul trouble, added nine points and seven boards, while the backcourt of Vosotros and Revilla had eight each.

The Adamson Falcons advance to play the runners-up of the NCAA, the San Sebastian Stags, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 24, while the Letran Knights play the UAAP second-placers, the FEU Tamaraws, at 3:30 p.m. on the same day. It’ll be a tough game for the Knights, though, as both Kevin and Louie Alas are departing for Los Angeles tomorrow, November 23, as Kevin will be training for a month with the ABA’s LA Slam.

The scores:

First game

Adamson 73 – Manyara 16, Lozada 14, Cañada 10, Colina 8, Camson 7, Cabrera 6, Etrone 4, Brondial 4, Manuel 2, Alvarez 2, Olalia 0, Petilos 0, Rios 0, Monteclaro 0, Agustin 0

JRU 58 – Apinan 17, Kabigting 13, Villarias 10, Monserat 4, Lopez 4, Matute 3, Almario 3, Paniamogan 2, Mendoza 2, Tiongco 0, Montemayor 0

Quarter scoring: 13-18, 25-27, 48-40, 73-58

Second game -

Letran 66 – Racal 14, K. Alas 14, Cruz 11, Almazan 10, Cortes 6, Lituania 5, Gabawan 2, Espiritu 2, Pantin 2, Belorio 0, J. Alas 0

De La Salle 61 – Torres 16, Mendoza 9, Vosotros 8, Revilla 8, Tampus 6, Webb 6, Marata 4, Paredes 3, Gotladera 1

Quarter scoring: 13-15, 25-29, 47-42, 66-61

THE Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers and the De La Salle University Green Archers both fought off late rally attempts from tough foes to move one step closer to the goal of being crowned National Champions in the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League last November 21 at the Arena in San Juan.

JRU, the fourth placers in this season’s NCAA tournament, converted on four out of its last six free throws to put away the upstart National University Bulldogs, who had made the Sweet 16 via the Metro Manila regional qualifiers, 66-62, in the first of two games.

The Heavy Bombers surged ahead, 58-50 with 7:01 left to play in the game courtesy of a triple by Nate Matute. But, NU, playing without South East Asian Games gold medalist Bobby Ray Parks, went on a huge run that ended with a Jeoffrey Javillonar drive that cut the deficit to just a basket, 62-60, 1:20 remaining. On the next JRU possession, Jeckster Apinan collided with Emmanuel Mbe and drew the Cameroonian big man’s fourth personal. But the Capiz native seemed to have hurt his left knee on the play and had to be subbed out. His replacement, team captain Raycon Kabigting, only managed a split at the line, leaving the Bulldogs a small window to pounce on.

Turnovers on both ends prompted NU head coach Eric Altamirano to sue for time with 27.8 seconds left. Opting for the quick two instead of a three, Javillonar once again took the ball down the lane with ease, scoring to get his team within a point, 63-62 with under half a minute remaining. Matute could only manage another split at the line on the other end, but JRU dodged a bullet when a streaking Reden Celda missed on a coast to coast drive that would have knotted things up. With seconds remaining, NU was forced to foul, and power forward John Lopez nailed the insurance charities.

Despite only resuming practice three weeks before the game, JRU’s teamwork was on display as it racked up 17 assists to just 11 from NU, with seven players scoring at least seven points each, led by John Lopez’s 10 markers, three boards and three dimes. According to head coach Vergel Meneses, the key to the game was stopping NU’s transition game, which the Heavy Bombers were able to do by cutting off the Bulldogs’ outlet passes. As a result, NU coughed up the ball 25 times.

“[But] we had defensive lapses, we can’t afford to do that,” added Meneses, referring to NU’s fightback in the fourth quarter.

Mbe led the Bulldogs, who won three straight games over Lyceum, University of Manila and University of Northern Philippines to get to the second rung of the PCCL stepladder, with 13 points, eight rebounds and three swats in 26 minutes of play, while Javillonar added 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

In the second game, the other team to emerge from the Metro Manila regional, La Salle, claimed another victim in its surging PCCL campaign in the depleted University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, the UAAP fourth placers, 72-67.

Entering the fourth quarter with a 10-point buffer over the Tigers, the Green Archers saw their lead shrink to just two points as rookies Karim Abdul and John Sheriff scored five in a row to pull within 69-67 with 20.5 seconds left to play. Because it had just a single team foul to its name in the final period, UST was forced into fouling mode, spending 10 seconds before finally putting Joseph Marata on the line. The third-year player airballed the first attempt to the groans of the Green Archer fans but knocked in the second, making it a three-point game with 10.6 seconds left.

Without any timeouts left, UST was forced into hurry-up mode. Louie Vigil quickly hoisted up an attempt just outside of the three-point arc. But the one-time DLSU prospect’s attempt was sent back at him by center Norbert Torres, a swat that preserved La Salle’s three-point advantage. With 2.7 seconds left, the Growling Tigers were forced to put Almond Vosotros at the stripe once more, and the point guard calmly made both charities to arrive at the final score.

Playing without their starting backcourt of Sinag Pilipinas reserves Jeric Fortuna and Jeric Teng, the troops of coach Pido Jarencio were forced to play catch up early on as La Salle quickly built a 9-2 lead. Its resolve put to the test, UST responded with some hot shooting in the second period, as Kevin Ferrer and Chris Camus nailed back-to-back triples to tie things at 35-all with 2:07 left in the first half. Off the halftime break, UST was unable to sustain its momentum, giving up an 8-2 run at the end of the third that included consecutive triples by Marata, who was playing in his first PCCL game of the year. That led to the first and only double-digit lead of the game by either side, 64-54, with 10 minutes left to play.

“I just hope we keep on improving,” said newly hired head coach Gee Abanilla, who is acting as a consultant for this tournament, with assistant Tyrone Bautista officially running things on the sideline. “We’ve still got a long way to go [but] we set goals in such a way that we’ll be competitive.”

The Green Archers got 16 points from the most senior player on the roster, Joshua Webb, who shot 7-of-10 from the field. Vosotros added 13 markers plus six boards and four dimes. Luigi de la Paz had 12 before leaving in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his wrist. The ex-De La Salle Zobel sharpshooter did not return to the game.

Freshman sensation Ferrer carried the Growling Tigers with 23 points and six boards, but UST’s other star rookie, Abdul, had a sub-par outing with just five points, seven boards and three assists. Kim Lo added nine points, five boards and two swipes, while Vigil also scored nine.

After ousting NU, it is JRU that will move up that side of the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket, drawing the Adamson Falcons for their next assignment. With players on both teams expected to pull double-duty thanks to a PBA-DL game later in the afternoon, their PCCL match-up will begin a half hour earlier, at 1:30 p.m., tomorrow, November 22.

La Salle, meanwhile, extended its journey up the stepladder on the back of four straight PCCL wins. Up next for Abanilla’s crew are the Letran Knights, who will likely be without 2011 NCAA Mythical Five selection Kevin Alas, as he will be training abroad with an ABA club.

The scores:

First game

JRU 66 – Lopez 10, Villarias 8, Apinan 8, Montemayor 7, Monserat 7, Matute 7, Kabigting 7, Almario 6, Carampil 4, Paniamogan 2, Mendoza 0

NU 62 – Mbe 13, Javillonar 12, Villamor 8, Labing-isa 8, Roño 5, Singh 4, Alolino 4, Neypes 3, Khobuntin 3, Celda 2

Quarter scoring: 14-11, 32-26, 51-45, 66-62

Second game

De La Salle 72 – Webb 16, Vosotros 13, de la Paz 12, Marata 10, Revilla 8, Torres 7, Tampus 2, Paredes 2, Mendoza 2, Gotladera 0, Sara 0

UST 67 – Ferrer 23, Vigil 9, Lo 9, Sheriff 6, Afuang 6, Abdul 5, Camus 5, Javier 2, Pe 2, Tan 0, Lao 0, Ungria 0

Quarter scoring: 18-13, 40-39, 64-54, 72-67

TWO UAAP teams that failed to make the Final Four this season are continuing their journey up the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League stepladder.

National University and De La Salle University dismantled separate foes with ease to advance after the first day of Sweet 16 games in the PCCL’s Luzon-Metro Manila bracket last November 19 at the Arena in San Juan.

In the first match, the Bulldogs, fifth placers in UAAP Season 74, throttled Vigan’s University of Northern Philippines Sharks, champions of the Lauro Tacbas Cup and North-Central Luzon regional tournament, with a 17-4 run to start the second quarter en route to a 96-51 demolition job.

Cameroonian big man Emmanuel Mbe teamed up with Reden Celda for 15 of NU’s 22 first quarter points. But the one-two punch of the Sharks, John Arceo and point guard Charles Verzola, kept things tight, scoring 13 of their side’s 17 in the first 10 minutes to counter. That was as close as the champions of Ilocandia would get as a dominant display from the Bulldogs saw all but one of their 10-man roster score in the second quarter thanks to a flurry of transition baskets. The Sharks managed a fightback starting at the 4:01 mark, chaining together six straight, but the Bulldogs quickly took it back with consecutive triples that putting them up 47-28 at the break.

NU, playing without Bobby Ray Parks due to national team duty, then shut the Sharks down in the third period, holding them to just five points in the first eight minutes as an Mbe dunk in transition padded his team’s advantage to a mighty 72-33 advantage. It was just a matter of time after that, but reserve point guard Jayson Pacleb teamed with starting big man Jacklord Arquero for six each to make the final score a bit more respectable.

“So far, we’re playing relaxed,” said NU head coach Eric Altamirano after the game. “You know last season [in the UAAP], there was a lot of pressure, but this is the time to learn from our mistakes, get better as a team, and assess our players.”

In the second game, the DLSU Green Archers gave coach Mel Alas and his University of Batangas Brahmans, the South Luzon-Bicol regional winners, a rude welcome, romping out to a 78-55 triumph. It was all DLSU early on as a flat start saw the North Batangas Open League champions backpedaling from the opening tip. A quick 6-0 start with barely a little over a minute gone by had Alas, the younger brother of Louie and one-time Adamson University tactician, whistling for time. Though they managed to score on a set play out of the timeout, the Brahmans’ offense was still lethargic as it managed to produce just six more markers in the period, resulting in a 25-8 deficit at the close of the opening canto.

UB found its legs to kick off the second quarter as its pressure defense forced La Salle into just two made field goals in a nine-minute span. On the other side of the floor, shots by Kevin Medrano, Angelo Aspi and Gaylord Monserat found their mark, with a 6-0 mini-blast cutting the Green Archers’ advantage to just seven points, 32-25. A timeout by La Salle acting head coach Tyrone Bautista with a minute left to play in the first half swung things the other way though, as Jarelan Tampus, playing in his first PCCL game this year, and Luigi Dela Paz dropped five unanswered to restore DLSU’s double-digit lead.

In the third, DLSU went back to its moneymen. Norbert Torres owned the paint and Joshua Webb scored in transition, which included a fastbreak dunk at the 7:16 mark, to pad the Green and White’s cushion. Almond Vosotros accounted for five markers in an 11-0 burst to end the quarter that inflated the lead to 59-35. In spite of two separate 6-0 runs in the final quarter, UB simply could not make headway in the last 10 minutes, effectively facilitating La Salle’s passage into the next round.

Despite just 12 practices under new head coach Gee Abanilla, who is acting as a consultant for this tournament, the Green Archers’ recently-hired mentor was happy with the early returns, saying, “I was surprised by how well they received the new system. They were very excited about it. We’re seeing a lot of things, good things and bad things, but we have to work on a lot of things, especially on defense. Give us some time and I think we’ll be okay.”

The tournament continues on Monday, November 21, as the NU Bulldogs face off against the fourth seed in this year’s NCAA tourney, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, DLSU will face a familiar UAAP foe in the UST Growling Tigers, the fourth placers in the UAAP this past season, at 4 p.m.

The scores:

First game

NU 96 – Mbe 23, Celda 19, Roño 11, Javillonar 9, Labing-isa 9, Villamor 7, Neypes 6, Alolino 6, Khobuntin 4, Singh 2

UNP 51 – Arquero 16, Arceo 12, Verzola 8, Tacata 7, Pacleb 6, Vita 2, Frando 0, Heard 0, Asuncion 0, Asistin 0

Quarter scoring: 22-17, 47-28, 72-37, 96-51

Second game

De La Salle 78 – Torres 15, Webb 15, Gotladera 10, Tampus 9, de la Paz 8, Vosotros 7, Paredes 4, Mendoza 4, Revilla 3, Reyes 2, Sara 1

UB 55 – Medrano 18, Noriega 10, Monserat 9, Sangalang 6, Aspi 6, Alcantara 2, Rodavia 2, Delmo 1, Planas 1, Umali 0, Arellano 0, Pagon 0, Aquino 0

Quarter scoring: 25-8, 37-25, 59-35, 78-55

Nike Zoom KD IV 3

Out this December 3, 2011, the Nike Zoom KD IV features the new Adaptive Fit system, Hyperfuse construction and a Zoom Air unit – a versatile combination for one of basketball’s most electric players.

The Nike Zoom KD IV was built to the exact specifications of Durant, who is closely involved in the design process with Nike Basketball Footwear Design Director Leo Chang.  Chang has led the design for all four of Durant’s Nike signature shoes since 2008.

Incorporated for the first time in a basketball shoe, the new Adaptive Fit system provides a lock-down fit with a synthetic strap that wraps up from the inside of the upper and integrates with the laces for superior fit and lateral support.

The Hyperfuse construction on the upper is a composite of three different layers of material that are fused together using a pressing process to create a nearly seamless, one-piece upper that is lightweight, breathable and durable.

Furthermore, the Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot provides lightweight, low-profile and responsive cushioning. Lastly, a low collar design provides optimal support and flexibility through the ankle and makes this a versatile shoe for multiple positions on the court.

As Kevin evolves as a basketball player so do his shoes. “First and foremost my shoe needs to be comfortable – it felt like I had been playing with them the whole season. The Adaptive Fit system is a customized feel and locks me in,” said Durant.

Designed with direct insights from Kevin Durant and his lineage, the Nike Zoom KD IV pays tribute to his team and family with details incorporated into the outsole including a lightning bolt traction pattern representing KD’s team and “Big Chucky” on the heel which pays tribute to KD’s late childhood mentor and coach.

The initials “WP” in the shape of a heart on each toe represent Kevin’s parents and “Barbara” is his grandmother’s name. Personal messages as “Work Hard” and “Stay Focused” are printed also on the outsole.

The Nike Zoom KD IV launches on December 1, 2011 in select Nike stores nationwide. The KD IV will retail at Php4,795.00.

Nike Lebron 9

BEAVERTON, Ore. -  NIKE, Inc.  seamlessly combines its leading basketball performance technologies with the introduction of the LEBRON 9.  A reflection of LeBron’s versatile style of play, the LEBRON 9 integrates Flywire technology and Hyperfuse construction – a Nike Basketball first – in the upper for superior support, along with a combination of Max Air 180 and a Nike Zoom unit for comfortable and responsive cushioning.

From the very beginning of the design process for the LEBRON 9 we wanted to break the mold with a shoe that maximized the strengths of a triple threat player like LeBron,” said Jason Petrie, Nike Basketball Designer.  “LeBron brings a rare combination of speed, agility and force to the game and my goal is to outfit him in a shoe that allows him do what he does best while maximizing our superior innovations.”

Designed with specific insights from LeBron James himself, the shoe is the first to combine Flywire technology and Hyperfuse construction.  Built for breathability and durability, the Hyperfuse construction is a composite of three different layers of material that are fused together to create a nearly seamless, one piece upper that sheds considerable weight without sacrificing protection. A midfoot harness that wraps around the foot incorporates Flywire 3.0 technology for added strength and lock down support. This lightweight upper mimics the speed and strength symbolic of LeBron’s game.

The finely-tuned midsole provides a unique hybrid cushioning system.  By combining Max Air 180 in the heel for absorption on impact with a Nike Zoom unit in the forefoot for a springy response, a player is protected on impact where they need it most. A composite shank plate provides torsional rigidity and support while reducing midsole weight.

Additional elements such as engineered textile wings, Nike Pro Combat inspired padding in the inner collar, asymmetrical lacing, heel pull tab, outrigger for lateral stability, and flex grooves in the outsole bring LeBron’s ninth signature shoe to unrivaled levels of performance.  Signature style including LeBron’s new logo, his signature on the ventilated tongue, and a special outsole pattern are special nods to LeBron.

For the first time ever, LeBron’s signature shoe will be available on NIKEiD.com.  Available beginning October 11, the LEBRON 9 can be previewed on NIKEiD.com with full design options available. The shoe is available for purchase on NIKEiD.com beginning October 25 in China, Europe, Japan and the United States. The LEBRON 9 will also be available in three limited time packs on NIKEiD.

As one last special integration, Nike has partnered with the videogame NBA 2K12, from 2K Sports, to integrate the LEBRON 9.  Beginning October 25 within the NBA 2K12 videogame, the LEBRON 9 will release in unison with key retailers. Additional LEBRON 9 colorways will launch at key moments throughout the year.

The National University Bulldogs and the De La Salle Green Archers both easily handled their respective opponents last November 10 at the Arena in San Juan, punching in their tickets for the Sweet 16 of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League.

In the opening tiff, the Bulldogs, this season’s fifth placers in the UAAP, went time and time again to the interior, where their second-year big man Emmanuel Mbe had the advantage. The Cameroonian simply dominated the much shorter University of Manila Hawks, champions of the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) league, to the tune of 29 points, on route to a resounding 103-74 win.

The Hawks stuck close to the Bulldogs for much of the first half, but former Under-18 National Team member Gelo Alolino helped ignite a scoring burst hat put National U. out of harm’s way, with two assists sandwiching a transition score of his own, accounting for six of a quarter-ending 8-0 run that put them up 48-34 at the break.

UM came out of the dugout looking to eat into the lead, which they accomplished, halving their deficit to just seven points as NAASCU MVP Jeff Viernes and Eugene Torres both scored from downtown, making it 50-43, barely four minutes into the third quarter. But the Hawks were unprepared to stop Reden Celda from exploding, as the transferee from Agro Industrial Foundation College dropped nine of his 14 points in the period. Coupled with Hawk Clemente Ruiz giving up an unsportsmanlike foul while trying to stop a fastbreak opportunity, NU was able to regain their double-digit lead and grow it further to 73-57, a 16-point advantage. At the dawn of the fourth, NU kept pouring it on, with former University of Perpetual Help Alta Robin Rono scoring half of a game-breaking 8-2 run, just a minute and a half into the final quarter. At 81-59, with 8:25 left, the Bulldogs never looked back from that point on.

Once again without reigning UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks, the Bulldogs did not seem hindered at all by his absence, as every player fielded in by head coach Eric Altamirano scored at least five points. The Hawks on the other hand, got Viernes back after he missed their November 8 victory due to a conflict of schedule with his PBA Developmental League team. While the sparkplug point guard led his squad in this game with 26, Fil-Am rookie Andrew Rivera, who top-scored with 23 in UM’s win against the Technological Institute of the Philippines Engineers, was not with the team, due to a prior commitment.

The second game followed a similar script, as the De La Salle Green Archers flashed their dominant form in a 79-51 drubbing of the Centro Escolar University Scorpions, top placers in the Men’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (MNCAA).

Despite having just nine players on tap compared to the 16 of CEU, the energy was clearly with the Archers from the get-go, as they set the tone early with a 7-0 blast that had the Scorpions’ bench suing for time, two minutes and 18 seconds into the game. A 10-2 run at the start of the second made it a 13-point advantage, 22-9, as the Archer reserves led by Jarelan Tampus, Papot Paredes and Almond Vosotros punished the Scorpions by corralling long rebounds and converting those into transition opportunities.

Out of the break, CEU did their best to keep the game from getting out of hand, as Ryan Gallardo and Chris Dumapig began to connect from the field. The rally was short-lived however, as Joshua Webb took over on La Salle’s next six possessions, scoring on five of them, and making a nice find to Vosotros in transition. That put the score at 48-29, with a little under five minutes in the third quarter, and CEU simply could not string together enough stops to get back into the game. The fourth quarter saw assistant coach Tyrone Bautista, in charge of the Archers during the PCCL, give extended minutes to the likes of Dan Sara and Ponso Gotladera, but it didn’t result in any dro-off as the Archer still kept CEU well out of reach until the final buzzer.

Settling for hurried outside shots all too often, the Scorpions could not get into an offensive rhythm, failing to break the 50-point barrier until the game’s twilight period, and with only Mark Parale able to finish in double-digit scoring. CEU’s go-to guy in the crunch, junior guard Axl Garcia, came up with just two markers in limited minutes off the bench.

With their victories, the NU Bulldogs and the DLSU Green Archers live to play another game. The Bulldogs square off against the winner of the North-Central Luzon region, the University of Northern Philippines, while the Archers will have to sit tight for the results of the South Luzon-Bicol tourney. The two squads and their respective foes will meet on November 19, Saturday.

The scores:
Game one –
NU 103 – Mbe 29, Celda 14, Labing-isa 11, Alolino 9, Rono 8, Singh 8, Javillonar 7, Neypes 6, Khobuntin 6, Villamor 5
UM 74 – Viernes 26, Torres 16, Ruiz 12, Ancheta 9, Manuel 6, Bonleon 3, Garcia 2, Ibay 0, Guti-ay 0, Castro 0, Serrano 0

Quarter-scoring: 21-16, 48-34, 73-57, 103-74

Game two -
DLSU 78 – Webb 14, Vosotros 14, Tampus 12, Paredes 10, Torres 9, Revilla 5, Dela Paz 5, Reyes 4, Gotladera 2, Mendoza 2, Sara 1
CEU 51 – Parale 12, Babad 8, Chua 6, Garcia 6, Gallardo 5, Dumapig 4, Tuazon 3, Abundo 3, Lobaton 2, Jeruta 1, Banua 1, Akpa 0, Bernardo 0, Magbitang 0

Quarter-scoring: 12-7, 33-16, 57-36, 78-51

Game note: The scoreboard in the Arena seemingly gave the Archers an extra point in-between the third and fourth quarters, putting them at 58-36 to start the final quarter, for a final score of 79-51. A look at the scorekeeper’s records has DLSU scoring just 78 points however, based on the per-quarter scoring breakdown of the La Salle players. It is that number, 78, that Inboundpass has chosen to go with.

The Centro Escolar University Scorpions and the De La Salle University Green Archers both banked on their suffocating endgame defense to dispatch separate foes last November 9 at the Arena in San Juan, to forge an elimination match against each other in the knock-out phase of the Metro Manila leg of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League.

In the first game, CEU, champions of the Men’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (MNCAA), shook off the fourth quarter one-man show of the Saint Francis of Assisi College Doves, and held winners of the Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association (UCLAA) men’s senior division basketball tourney to just five points in the last five minutes of the game, winning with a 68-50 rout.

The Scorpions led by as much as 16 points, 40-24, in the third quarter, thanks to their suffocating pressure defense, but Doves Lawrence Castro and Denver Rote keyed in an 8-0 run that sliced the deficit in half with 2:48 left in the period.

At the 6:06 mark of the final quarter, St. Francis of Assisi ran a play out of a timeout to get Jorel Soriano going to the basket, only to have his shot rejected by the CEU big men. Luckily for the Doves, the ball went right into the hands of Jayson Melano, who scored off the putback to make it 51-45. The Scorpions answered with a steal by Kim Chua, who found a streaking Chris Dumapig to boost their lead back to eight, only to have Melano strike anew in the post, 53-47. Unfortunately for the Doves, they got no closer than that, as CEU’s defense sprang back to life, denying them another made field goal from that point onward. On the other side of the court, Centro Escolar head coach Mon Jose’s charges drained triples on three of their next four scoring trips, pushing the lead out of reach, 64-47. The one-two punch of center John Paul Magbitang, who had been nursing four fouls on the bench until the latter part of the fourth, and Mark Paralo provided 10 points of CEU’s last 15 points, helping their squad arrive at the final score.

CEU began the game with a 5-0 burst, never letting St. Francis of Assisi College get a taste of the lead, and forcing them to play catch up throughout the game’s 40 minutes. In the payoff period, CEU allowed just 11 points, nine from Melano, who led both teams with a game-high 16 markers, despite coming off the bench for head coach Gabby Velasco.

Game two of the same day featured two teams with depleted line-ups, as the DLSU Green Archers, sixth placers in the UAAP, outlasted their NCAA counterparts, the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals.

Due to a combination of graduating veterans not being included in either team’s line-ups, commitments to PBA Developmental League teams, as well as time being given to players healing from nagging injuries, La Salle had just 11 of their 16 players from their UAAP roster available, while Mapua fared even worse, with just nine Cardinals dressed.

Despite that, the Cardinals stormed out early, taking advantage of DLSU misses from point blank to close out the first half on a 9-0 run, 28-23. A double unsportsmanlike foul at the 1:49 mark of the second period on MIT’s Jeson Cantos and DLSU’s Jovet Mendoza helped even the numerical odds somewhat for the Cardinals, as the two players were caught trying to box each other out with a bit too much vigor. The extra motions stung the Archers more as Mendoza earned himself an ejection, after having drawn one unsportsmanlike foul already on a similar offense in the first quarter.

In the third, a 9-0 burst engineered by Almond Vosotros and Norbert Torres put the Archers ahead, 44-38, only to have Andretti Stevens and Yousef Taha halve that lead by the end of the quarter. Then in the fourth period, Stevens found Jonathan Banal for an open triple, tying things at 48-each, 7:07 left. After Luigi Dela Paz answered back with a long bomb of his own, the two sides found themselves deadlocked yet again after a score by Taha and a split at the line by Jumel Chien. But it was all La Salle from then on, starting with Jarelan Tampus finding Papot Paredes for the go-ahead layup with three minutes remaining, 53-51. The two sides failed to affect the scoreboard for nearly two minutes after that, but with 52 seconds left, Mapua had three looks on a single possession and still could not convert, giving the ball back to the Archers. Forced to foul with 20.1 seconds left in the game, the Cardinals sent Vosotros to the line, where the sophomore guard kept the door ajar for the possibility of overtime when he missed the back-end of his charities, 54-51. With 19.1 seconds to make something happen, the Cardinals opted for a quick two, but Banal and Mike Parala both missed. LA Revilla then nailed two game-clinching charities, sending a predominantly La Salle crowd home happy.

Both CEU and DLSU will have little time to celebrate though, as they’ll play each other tomorrow, November 10, for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 of the PCCL.

The scores:

First game –
CEU 68 – Dumapig 11, Magbitang 10, Paralo 10, Garcia 8, Gallardo 7, Lobaton 6, Jeruta 5, Babad 3, Tuazon 2, Anain 2, Chua 2, Akpa 2, Bernardo 0, Navarro 0, Abundo 0

SF 50 – Melano 16, Rote 13, Paday 8, Castro 7, Parcero 3, Martin 2, Castanos 1, Parico 0, Soriano 0, Milo 0, Pranillos 0

Quarter-scoring: 17-13, 34-20, 48-39, 68-50

Second game –
DLSU 56 – Dela Paz 11, Vosotros 10, Webb 10, Paredes 8, Revilla 7, Torres 6, Mendoza 2, Tampus 2, Sara 0, Gotladera 0, Reyes 0

MIT 51 – Taha 18, Parala 10, Banal 8, Ighalo 6, Stevens 3, Chien 3, Cantos 2, Magsigay 1

Quarter-scoring: 11-15, 23-28, 44-41, 56-51

In the first of two qualifying matches, the Technological Institute of the Philippines Engineers simply could not come up with a solution for Andrew Rivera.

Waxing hot all game long, the star player of the reigning National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) champion University of Manila Hawks set the tone early with 10 first-quarter points, on route to a 78-69 win over the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) kings, the TIP Engineers, last November 8, at the Arena in San Juan, in the knock-out portion of the Metro Manila leg of the 2011 Philippine Collegiate Champions League.

The Hawks led 59-54 after a Clemente Ruiz transition bucket early in the fourth, but back to back scores by TIP big man Khenn Osicos, and then two possessions later, an open triple by Vergel Martinez off an assist by Jemuel Namocatcat, had the Engineers in position to take over at 59-58, and 62-61, respectively.

University of Manila managed to pull away again with Rivera creating shots for himself and his teammates. The burly sniper hit a triple with 4:20 on the clock, and then found forward Jayson Ibay a minute later for a baseline jumper, making it 72-65. A driving Jeffrey Yanes drew a foul, and he split his resultant charities to cut the Hawks’ lead down to six, 3:13 remaining, but TIP found themselves unable to score until the game’s last 17.5 seconds, as UM surged ahead for six unanswered. With a 12-point lead in hand, 78-66, the Hawks had nothing to worry about in the endgame, allowing a Namocatcat split and a Martinez putback to end the shutout and the match.

Eight straight markers from Rivera turned a slim 6-5 TIP lead into a 13-6 advantage for UM, putting the Hawks ahead for most of the first half. The Engineers were able though to string together 10 unanswered points over the second and third quarters, with Namocatcat scoring six and dishing out an assist during the Engineers’ run, 42-37. Seven unanswered by the Hawks righted the ship for them, 50-46, halfway through the third, giving them enough of a lead to build on in the final period.

TIP’s full-court press served to slow down the Hawks early on in the game, but so did UM’s 2-3 zone for the Engineers. As the game went on, the NAASCU champs showed they had more up their sleeve than their ISAA counterparts, switching to full court coverages in the second and third before going back to the zone in the final quarter, confusing their opponents.

The second game of the afternoon saw two teams lacking their star players, but the National University Bulldogs proved they had more depth beyond their top scorer, eliminating their NCAA counterparts and last year’s Grinder team, the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, 84-74.

Missing in action were Lyceum’s top scorer, gunner Chris Cayabyab, and UAAP Season 74 MVP Bobby Ray Parks, who watched the game on the sidelines. Several other Bulldogs, including veteran point guard Joseph Terso, were unavailable due to commitments to their PBA Developmental League teams.

A first quarter tie gave way to a back and forth second period, which saw the two teams exchange runs before NU climbed ahead on baskets by Denice Villamor and Ajeet Singh, 38-31 at the break. After halftime, Gian Mallari caught fire for the Pirates, burying four consecutive triples that cut NU’s lead to just a point, 43-42, four minutes gone by in the third. Two made freethrows and a fastbreak dunk by Emmanuel Mbe extended his team’s advantage to five points, but Lyceum finally knotted things up on a fastbreak basket by Dexter Zamora, 55-all. With 24 seconds left, the Bulldogs caught a break, as Glenn Khobuntin simply threw up the ball thinking time was about to expire. In fact, there were still six seconds, but his prayer connected, giving his team a slim 57-55 lead going into the final quarter.

There, defensive stalwart Singh suddenly turned into an offensive machine, as he made three baskets in a row, before following up that feat with an assist to a streaking Villamor, to post a 70-62 lead, five minutes gone by in the period. Point guard Shane Ko was able to score to bring the lead down to 72-66, 3:17 remaining, but the Pirates could not get a stop when their attempts weren’t going in, conceding seven straight to National U., with a Villamor triple being the capper, 79-66. Back to back makes by Ko sliced the Bulldogs’ advantage to nine, 79-70, but Khobuntin and Singh kept the lead in double-digits, closing out the game with a 3 for 4 clip at the line.

Making NU’s win more impressive was the fact that they survived foul trouble to their dominant center, Emmanuel Mbe, whose towering presence gave them a huge advantage over the smaller Pirates team. The native of Cameroon picked up foul number four at the 6:16 mark of the fourth quarter, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. By going small with Villamor and Khobuntin in the frontcourt, the Bulldogs were able to match up better with the Pirates. As both teams spent most of the game in full-on run and gun mode, the more athletic “bigs” of the Bulldogs proved to be the difference-makers down the stretch, as the likes of Mark Francisco and Onofre Napiza could not stop them in the open court.

The UM Hawks and the NU Bulldogs will face each other on Thursday, November 10, at 2pm, for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen round of the PCCL.

The scores:

Game 1 –
UM 78 – Rivera 23, Torres 16, Ruiz 15, Guti-ay 6, Manuel 6, Ibay 5, Garcia 3, Castro 2, Bonleon 1, Serrano 1, Flores 0, Ancheta 0,

TIP 69 – Namocatcat 15, Osicos 10, Martinez 8, Paulo 7, Medina 6, Viernes 5, Yanes 5, Banez 5, Acebo 4, Dela Punta 2, Perez 2

Quarter-scoring: 22-16, 37-35, 57-54,78-69

Game 2 –
NU 84 – Villamor 23, Mbe 17, Singh 16, Javillonar 8, Khobuntin 8, Alolino 6, Labing-isa 2, Neypes 2, Rono 2, Celda 0

LPU 74 – Guevarra 15, Mallari 14, Ko 12, Napiza 9, Lacap 8, Zamora 6, Laude 4, Anacta 2, Azores 2, Francisco 2, Ong 0, Lesmoras 0, Pascual 0

Quarter-scoring: 19-19, 38-31, 57-55, 84-74

Louie Gutierrez, President of Silverworks, awards the symbolic championship ring to the San Beda Red Lions.

The Red Lions widely opened their eyes to beat the Stags and swept the Championships with a final game score of 57-55 last October 26, 2011 to gain a back- to- back title this NCAA season.

The Bedans roared with excitement from start to victory. Champions deserve not only a trophy but also a special symbolism of hardwork, team unity and dedication.

For the first time in NCAA history, Silverworks, the leading retailer of sterling silver jewelry in the Philippines,  presents the championship bull rings to each team player.

Mr. Louie Gutierrez, President of Silverworks, awarded the Symbolic Championship Ring to the San Beda Red Lions during the Final Game.

Will this championship bull ring be an inspiration for another win next season?

Congratulations to the San Beda Red Lion- the King of NCAA Season 87!

FOR the past five seasons, the Mendiola faithful have been haunted by the question as to whether San Beda College could truly win an NCAA Championship without the help of a dominant foreign player.

But, on this Wednesday, October 26, the Red Lions finally erased all of the doubt by sweeping their NCAA Season 87 Finals series against San Sebastian College-Recoletos. After seizing Game 1, 75-63 last Monday, the Red Lions finished the job in Game 2, edging the Stags with a 57-55 series clincher.

And they did as a team.

In his fifth season as the head coach of his alma mater, Frankie Lim stated that this would be his toughest challenge yet due to the loss of the Los Angeles-born Sudan Daniel after the 6’8” center suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the preseason.

“Masyadong malaki yung pagkawala ni Sudan sa amin. Marami kaming ginawa na adjustments to compensate for his loss. I told my players, ‘Wala na si Su. It’s all yours. Sa inyo nalang yan. Deliver the goods for us.’ The best part about that is that my guys responded to the challenge, especially the bigs. They did their work,” said Lim.

Entering the game only averaging 3.1 points per game, Fil-Australian David Semerad rose to the occasion and became the unlikely hero of Game 2. His team-high 15 points was a career-high and it couldn’t have come at a better time. “Today, I think the big surprise for San Sebastian was DJ Semerad. He responded well after Jake Pascual was saddled with foul trouble. Most importantly, he held his own against [Calvin] Abueva,” added Lim.

A bruising effort was required to limit to scoring output of “The Beast” as Lim’s big men took turns in this Finals series defending the league’s MVP. After averaging 21.5 points per game in the elimination round and the Final Four, Abueva was limited to just 12 points per outing in the two-game finals.

In the second quarter, the Stags threatened to pull away after a barrage of three-point baskets from Ronald Pascual. Pascual exploded for three triples in that canto. But, according to Lim, that run by the Stags didn’t really worry him much. “Nagpakawala sila ng mga three-point shots. Si Abueva naka-isa at si Pascual, naka-tatlo. Si Rome (de la Rosa), medyo nag-struggle sa depensa. The biggest lead was just eight points. It was manageable. We adjusted in the second half. We decided to switch sa handoff ni Abueva to Pascual,” Lim revealed. That ploy worked to perfection as Pascual, who would go on to finish the game with a team-high 15 points, made only one more basket from downtown in the second half.

The fourth quarter saw a high level of defensive intensity coming from both teams as they battled it out in an ultra physical tug-of-war. “Both teams played great defense. There was a stretch siguro mga anim na baba at walang naka-score,” described Lim.

At one, bizarre point of that scoreless series of possessions, Calvin Abueva was caught delivering a headbutt straight to the jaw of Semerad with 5:53 remaining in regulation. That forced the referees to slap a flagrant foul on him with the Red Lions up by 2, 54-52. Semerad made one of two free throws to hike his team’s lead to three, 55-52.

Soon after, Abueva managed to draw a foul to earn a much needed trip to the free throw line. After making the first charity to cut the deficit to just two points, 55-53, the Stags failed on a great opportunity to knot the ballgame up. Abueva missed the second freebie, which led to a hard scramble for the loose ball. Pascual then muffed a short stab and Abueva overshot an offensive putback. Those misses proved to be costly for them.

On the other end, Garvo Lanete, who had just recovered from a fever, came up with the play of the game as he drove to the hoop before dishing off to a cutting Semerad on the baseline for an easy two. San Sebastian did answer on the other end, courtesy of a Jovit dela Cruz jumper, but the score would remain as is after that, 57-55 until the final buzzer.

With about four seconds remaining in the game, the Stags once again executed their handoff play to set up a Pascual three. Pascual found himself open on the right wing for the potential game-winner.

But, he missed.

Abueva touched the ball last with still 2.9 seconds to play. San Beda called its final timeout and the Stags, who had already used up all their timeouts, oddly opted not to foul anymore, allowing the Red Lions to repeat as back-to-back champions of the league.

Veteran center Dave Marcelo was hailed as the Finals MVP of the Finals after averaging a monstrous 13.5 rebounds and eight points per game in the series. In his 8th straight year proudly donning the San Beda jersey, Marcelo has won a total of 4 NCAA seniors crowns and an NCAA juniors title in 2004.

“Sinabi ni Coach na ilabas niyo na yung lahat ng kaya niyo ilabas sa championship. Alam namin dalawang panalo na lang ang kailangan namin para makuha yung championship. Masaya ako kaso nahirapan din kami. Kaya naman manalo as long as we stick together. Yun yung formula namin: Teamwork. We must win as a team,” said the graduating Marcelo, one of four Red Lions playing out their final year of eligibility. The other three graduating players are Garvo Lanete, Mar Villahermosa and Sudan Daniel.

With this championship, Lim may have just solidified his position as one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history. In five seasons, he has won four titles with an overall record of 84 wins and just 12 losses. “Kada taon naman, tuwing nag-cha-champion kami, it’s always sweet. Dahil siyempre, lahat yun pinaghirapan namin the whole year. Ito yung inaasahan naming na prize para sa amin,” said Lim.

“I was telling one of my assistant coaches, Ed Cordero, that I had a good feeling that we were going to win the championship but hindi ko naisip na were going to have a record of only two losses,” he added. San Beda finished Season 87 with a total of 20 wins and only two defeats.

San Sebastian may have snapped the Red Lions’ 26-game winning streak in their first round encounter, but according to Lim, getting back at the Stags later in the season was vital in building his team’s confidence entering the finals. “Yung back-to-back wins (2nd round of elims. and playoff for number one spot) against Baste made a huge difference. Ibig sabihin, hindi sila malakas. Kaya namin silang talunin kahit wala si Sudan,” he stressed.

San Beda College has now tied Colegio de San Juan de Letran for the most number of NCAA seniors basketball titles in league history with 16. And even though the future still looks bright for the Red Lions because of some exciting recruits awaiting their turn for a shot at supremacy, Lim chose not speak about next season but rather enjoy the moment at-hand.

“Isa pang maganda sa amin yung mga naglalaro off the bench. These guys delivered for us in the finals. It’s called a team effort. Pag hindi nakabigay yung kapatid mo, kailangan ikaw, saluhin mo,” exclaimed Lim, who also won back-to-back NCAA titles as a player for San Beda College in 1977 and 1978.

“Para sa akin, it’s perfect. This team is perfect.”

The scores:

San Beda 57 – D. Semerad 15, Caram 10, Villahermosa 8, Amer 7, de la Rosa 5, K. Pascual 4, Marcelo 2, Lanete 2, A. Semerad 2, J. Pascual 2.

San Sebastian 55 – Pascual 15, Sangalang 13, Abueva 12, Miranda 5, dela Cruz 4, Antipuesto 4, del Rio 2, Vitug 0, Maiquez 0.

IN the first game of Season 87′s Finals, the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags went up against not just San Beda College, but themselves as well, ultimately losing both battles.

Losing their composure in the final moments of the fourth quarter while hamstringing themselves all throughout with turnovers, the defending champion Red Lions were able to take a 23-11 fourth quarter advantage and the 75-63 win in the NCAA’s big dance last October 24 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“Dalawang laro na lang, dapat-all out,” said reserve shooter Mar Villahermosa, who played just 11 minutes off the bench but still managed to tally 15 points. “Sabi nga ni coach, kung anong naiwan sa cabinet, dapat ilabas na namin.”

With the table reset, 52-all at the onset of the fourth quarter, San Beda initially struggled, turning the ball over after stealing the initial inbounds and then missing two transition scores. But after Calvin Abueva missed a triple, Baser Amer drove down the lane before kicking the ball out to an open Villahermosa for a triple that got a 10-3 run going, putting the Red Lions up 62-55 with six minutes left to play. The two teams swapped two scoreless possessions before Ian Sangalang nailed a jmper with 4:29 on the clock to trim the deficit to five. Amer continued his aggressive play, however, finding Dave Marcelo for a layup and then scoring on his own over Anthony del Rio, to pump his team’s advantage to nine, 66-57.

Forced to burn their last timeout, the Stags had 3:06 left to make something happen. But, off the break, Abueva was whistled for a flagrant-one foul for throwing an elbow at Amer while setting a screen. San Beda was unable to capitalize, as Amer split his charities, and the team couldn’t score on the bonus possession. A Sangalang putback off a missed Lyle Antipuesto triple cut the lead to eight, 67-59, with 2:21 left, but Villahermosa nailed yet another big time triple with two minutes left in the game, boosting their lead to 12. On the ensuing Stags possession, Abueva drove hard to the rim, only to get soundly denied by Marcelo. Furious over the lack of a call, neophyte San Sebastian head coach Topex Robinson protested to no avail and earned himself a disqualifying foul that sent him to the showers early. A charity by Rome de la Rosa and a putback by Jake Pascual then extended the Stags’ agony to 73-59 with 1:33 left, sealing the game and pulling the Red Lions to within a game from their fifth crown in six years.

“Again, just like the finals last year, nandoon nanaman yung mga cheap shots. Hindi ata talaga matatangal sa kanila yun eh,” complained San Beda head coach Frankie Lim after the game. “I told my guys that we have to look at the bigger picture. We’re here to win a championship and not hurt other people. Let’s focus on what we do best and win the game.”

Villahermosa top-scored for both teams with his 15 points, making all but one of his eight attempts from the field. Marcelo provided the muscle underneath with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, plus two swats. Pascual played sterling defense on Abueva for most of the game while also adding 14 markers and three more rejections, and rookie floor general Amer stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

The numerous contributions from different Red Lions were more than able to blunt an ineffective game by King Lion Garvo Lanete. The normally deadeye shooter played just 25 minutes, scoring a mere six points in the process as he went just 3-for-14 from the field. Lim explained that Lanete had been under the weather the past few days, and chalked up his misfires to Lanete being “off timing.”

In the first quarter, aggressive play by Jovit dela Cruz, among others, had the Stags rolling early, 8-2. However, San Beda was able to catch up and take the lead thanks to five straight turnovers by San Sebastian, as del Rio and Ronald Pascual alternated poorly timed passes. The Red Lions were able to score 11 unanswered before Abueva got the Stags back on the scoreboard. The reigning champions also squandered a few opportunties of their own as well in the early goings. Abeuva was whistled for his third foul at the 3:16 mark of the first quarter after Robinson gambled on leaving him in. Coupled with Sangalang’s second personal just three minutes into the game, the Stags’ offensive options were limited, to say the least. Instead, players like Antipuesto and del Rio were able to nail jumpers, keeping San Sebastian in the thick of things, 20-all at the end of the first quarter. Sangalang was then called for foul number three at the 6:36 mark of the second, forcing the San Sebastian coaching staff’s hand and putting Abueva back in with three personals. Despite that, “The Beast” was able to leave his imprint on the game and towed the Stags to a three-point halftime edge.

After a four-game slump that coincided with San Sebastian’s end-of-season decline, Pascual managed to lead the Stags in scoring with 14 markers on 6-of-14 shooting, though he missed all four of his outside attempts. He also had 11 rebounds in 33 minuts. Abueva, who was named the season’s Most Valuable Player prior to the game, was held to 12 points, missing 13 of his 19 attempts, but hauled down 16 caroms. The Stags’ problem, however, was turnovers as they committed 30 in the game, with Pascual and Abueva accounting for eight each. Surprise starter Antipuesto dropped 11 markers, while 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Sangalang was hobbled by fouls, producing just 10 points and six rebounds.

After getting six transition points in the first quarter, San Sebastian was held to just six for the remainder of the game. San Beda, for its part, had zero fastbreak points in the first quarter, but scored 15 from then on, including seven in the pivotal final period. The free throw numbers also heavily favored the Red Lions, with the defending champs getting 25 attempts as against the seven of the Stags.

Prior to the start of the game, the NCAA handed out its annual awards in a simple ceremony Letran Knight Raymond Almazan was adjudged Most Improved Player. Josan Nimes of the Mapúa Cardinals claimed Rookie of the Year honors, while the Mythical Five was comprised of Kevin Alas and Almazan of Letran, Lanete, Abueva and Sangalang.

With San Sebastian having won a title in 2009 and San Beda capturing the crown a year after, many see this season’s series as the tiebreaker between the two squads. “[I told the team] I want you guys to be happy but not too happy because hindi pa natin napapanalo ang game number two. Let’s get the second win and let’s all go crazy,” Lim recalled after the game. The Red Lions will have a chance do just that on Wednesday, October 26, when Game 2 kicks in at 11:50 a.m., also at the Big Dome.

The scores:

San Beda 75 – Villahermosa 15, Marcelo 14, J. Pascual 14, de la Rosa 11, Amer 9, Lanete 6, A. Semerad 4, Caram 2, D. Semerad 0, K. Pascual 0

San Sebastian 63 – Pascual 14, Abueva 12, Antipuesto 11, Sangalang 10, J. dela Cruz 7, del Rio 5, Miranda 2, Vitug 2, Maiquez 0, Balucanag 0

Quarter scoring: 20-20, 35-38, 52-52, 75-63

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

GROUP A

1. x-San Beda College (6-1)
2. x-Ateneo de Manila University (5-2)
3. x-College of Saint Benilde (5-2)
4. x-Adamson University (4-3)
5. National University (4-3)
6. Saint Francis of Assisi College (2-5)
7. Trinity University of Asia (2-5)
8. Jose Rizal University (0-7)

GROUP B

1. x-Emilio Aguinaldo College (7-0)
2. x-University of the Philippines (5-2)
3. x-University of the East (5-2)
4. x-De La Salle University (4-3)
5. San Sebastian College-Recoletos (3-4)
6. Colegio de San Lorenzo (2-5)
7. National College of Business and Arts (1-6)
8. Lyceum of the Philippines University (1-6)

x-clinched quarterfinal berth

SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals: October 16 @ Arellano University

9:00 a.m.: San Beda def. De La Salle, 88-64
10:30 a.m.: Ateneo def. UE, 77-73
12:00 nn: UP def. St. Benilde, 79-78 (OT)
1:30 p.m.: Adamson def. EAC, 74-69

Semifinals: October 22 @ Trinity University of Asia

12:00 nn.: San Beda def. UP, 73-53
1:30 p.m.: Adamson def. Ateneo, 56-54

Finals: October 23 @ Arellano University

11:30 a.m.: San Beda def. Adamson, 88-50

FOR the third year in a row, San Sebastian College-Recoletos will face off against the San Beda College Red Lions in the NCAA Finals.

Last season’s runners up, and the champions two years ago, fended off a late flurry of Kevin Alas triples to beat out the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in a low-scoring affair, 63-56 in the deciding Final Four game of the league’s 87th season at the Arena in San Juan last October 19.

“Just like what I told you in our losses, I don’t care if we lost our last three games, if it’s going to make us better in this do or die game, I’ll take that,” Stags head coach Topex Robinson said after reaching the finals in his maiden year coaching a collegiate squad. “Again, lessons learned from those three games, and when our backs were against the wall, we just have to fight. That’s the best thing we can do, slug it out, fight it out and just never give up, whatever it takes.”

“It’s like playing my first game in the NCAA,” the San Sebastian alumnus added when asked to describe his mindset entering the game. “I was still thinking as a player even though I’m a coach, that’s why I wore long sleeves. I wanna make sure that I’m going to the dance. I just want to make sure that if I’m going to war, I want to look good. It gives me confidence to do that, trusting that I really mean business.”

The Stags surged ahead in the second quarter, turning their two-point lead to an 11-point cushion thanks in part to a triple by Ronald Pascual and a layup by Jovit dela Cruz in transition, off a Calvin Abueva find. For a little over six minutes, Letran managed just a deuce, a Jam Cortes fastbreak basket, making it 34-24. But the Knights were hellbent on entering halftime with a more manageable deficit to work with. After Sangalang lost a rebound out of bounds, which let Letran keep possession with 4.7 seconds left, Alas found Mark Cruz in the corner for a triple and the foul by a late dela Cruz. Cruz easily nailed the free throw to trim the deficit to 34-28 at the break.

Alas and Kevin Racal then scored the first five points of the second half, pulling the Knights to within a point of the Stags, 34-33. But, once again, Letran’s offense stalled. A 13-2 Stag run over seven minutes had them in the driver’s seat once again, 47-35, until charities by Jun-Jun Alas finally broke the dry spell. In the last minute and a half of the third, the elder Alas and Cruz went 6-for-8 from the stripe, slicing the Stags’ advantage again to single-digits, 50-41 at the start of the fourth.

In the final period, a hook shot by Jam Cortes cut the lead down to six, 51-45 with 8:18 left to play, before a basket by Abueva and a dish to Sangalang restored their double-digit advantage, 55-45 with exactly seven minutes left. A split by Racal, off Abueva’s third personal foul, trimmed the advantage to nine, setting the stage for Kevin Alas’ eruption from downtown. The third-year spitfire nailed three consecutive triples that went unanswered, knotting the match at 55-all with 4:30 on the clock. Unfortunately, that was nearly all Letran had left, as each of the so-called Pinatubo Trio, Pascual, Sangalang, and Abueva, scored a basket, with Abueva tipping in a Sangalang miss before flexing his arms to the San Sebastian faithful to open up a 61-55 lead with two minutes left to play. After two empty possessions, Alas found himself at the line with a chance to kick-start a late rally, but managed just a split that pulled Letran to 61-56. On their next offensive, Alas launched a triple but missed. But, Jonathan Belorio snagged the repossession and sent it back to their playmaker, only for Alas to lose it to the hustle of Anthony del Rio, who then sent it to a streaking Abueva. “The Beast” then found dela Cruz for the nail in the coffin, which pegged the count to the eventual final score as Letran head coach Louie Alas, in a show of class, instructed his troops not to take a shot in their final possession.

Alas’ explosion did not surprise Robinson. In fact, the Stags mentor even said he expected a comeback, “We know Kevin Alas is a good player, he’s a great player, he’s a clutch player, he’s going to be good. I know they’re not going to give up easily, I know that they’re going to catch up and we just prepared for that.”

Entering this game, Abueva had made just eight of his 39 field goal attempts against Letran, but 36 out of 45 free throws. Limited to just four trips to the line today, Abueva matched his field goal figure with an 8-of-20 clip, finishing with a team-best 20 markers, 18 rebounds, and four assists. “Stay focused lang sa depensa kasi masyado akong nag-relax sa last game namin,” the leading MVP candidate said of his approach to this game. “Di rin ako makatulog nung gabi na iyon dahil sa sobrang kaba. Twice-to-beat kami, kala namin kayang-kaya, hindi pala.”

Sangalang also had a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards, while Pascual continued to struggle, posting just 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting. But, it was enough for the win. “I still believe in them, they’re the ones who brought me here at this situation and I’m not going to give up on them,” Robinson pointed out, responding to the drop in production of his team’s three stars over their past few games. “Even if sometimes we try to get into each others’ faces, the trust is there. I always tell them I don’t mean you harm, I’m only here to make you good. And they just have to believe in me as much as I believe in them.”

Kevin Alas had a game-high 26 points, plus four rebounds, two steals and three blocks in a losing effort, while Cruz was the only other Knight in double-figures, scoring 11, although none came in the final period. The frontcourt of Cortes and Raymund Almazan was limited to just eight points, all from Cortes, and a combined 18 rebounds.

Abueva even took time out to comfort a clearly disappointed and emotional Alas after the game when the two teams exchanged postgame handshakes. “Sinabi ko sa kanya, magkikita pa tayo next year. Hindi pa tapos ang laro natin, may last year pa ako, siya meron pa naman. Tsaka may mga ibang liga pa, D-League at iba pa.”

With the win, San Sebastian arranged what could be the deciding series, as the two teams came away with a title each in the previous two years they went head-to-head. Robinson wasn’t divulging any hint as to how they would prepare for the October 24 matchup, however, saying, “I just want to enjoy this day first. I’ll worry about it tomorrow….Tomorrow we’ll look at business.”

Letran bucked a lot of preseason expectations, surging ahead early with a 4-0 start to the season and even threatening San Beda late for the number two seed. The good news for fans of the Knights is that the entire team is eligible to return next season, with no player overage or using up all of his playing years.

The scores:

San Sebastian 63 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 15, Pascual 11, J. dela Cruz 9, Antipuesto 3, del Rio 2, Vitug 2, Miranda 1, Maiquez 0

Letran 56 – K. Alas 26, Cruz 11, Cortes 8, J. Alas 4, Racal 3, Belorio 2, Dysam 2, Almazan 0, Espiritu 0, Gabriel 0

Quarter scores: 17-16, 34-28, 50-41, 63-56

THE Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights proved that it’s not how you start, but how you finish.

Bucking slow starts in the first two quarters, the Knights rose up in the second half to dispense with the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags’ twice-to-beat advantage and force a deciding game, 70-62 in the Final Four of the 87th NCAA season last October 17 at the Arena in San Juan.

“Ito yung primary goal natin, ang Final Four,” said a happy Letran head coach Louie Alas. “We just have to make the most out of it. One game season, kung gusto niyong mag-bakasyon, nasa sa amin. Ang fate natin is within our control. Kaya kanina, naglaro sila [the Knights] ng relax na relax.”

Letran tripped right out of the gate, giving up an 8-2 run to San Sebastian, as it only scored its second field goal at the 4:07 mark, courtesy of a Jam Cortes jumper. Cutting the Stags’ lead to just a point, 12-11, at the start of the second quarter, the Knights stumbled anew, as another 8-2 run had them trailing at 20-13 until Raymund Almazan connected with 5:32 on the clock. With the first half winding down, the Letran offense found its groove, as Cortes and Kevin Alas tag-teamed their way to an 8-1 blitz, with Alas’ buzzer beater handing them the lead at the intermission, 28-26.

That did not sit well with the Stags, who stormed out with four straight to wrest the lead away, 30-28 with just a minute and a half gone by. But, on the next possession, after a Jovit dela Cruz miss, Calvin Abueva was whistled for his fourth foul while angling for the rebound, throwing a monkey wrench into Stags head coach Topex Robinson’s plans. Still, the former PBA star gambled by keeping Abueva in for two more plays, and “The Beast” produced a three-point play before hitting the bench. The Knights countered with a jumper by Franz Dysam, making it 33-30, only to be met with charities by Ian Sangalang and a triple by Lyle Antipuesto as the Stags built their largest lead of the game, 38-30 with half the quarter still to play. Undaunted, six different Letranites teamed up for an 11-0 run that turned the deficit into a 41-38 edge with a minute left on the clock. Ronald Pascual knotted things up with a huge triple, but Letran got a three-point play the hard way as Jun-Jun Alas converted on a missed free throw by Kevin Alas. The heady play left 10 seconds on the clock, but that was enough time for Anthony del Rio to hit his version of a long bomb, resetting the table in the final quarter.

This time, it was the Knights’ turn to come out guns blazing as a 12-2 run gave them their first double-digit lead, 56-46 off a triple by Jonathan Belorio. Abueva reentered the game, and aggressive drives by the leading MVP candidate, combined with a triple on an inbounds play by Pascual, had San Sebastian threatening at 65-58 with 2:49 left. Jun-Jun Alas and Abueva swapped buckets on their teams’ next possessions. But with the last two minutes kicking in, Letran killed 60 seconds worth of game clock thanks to three offensive rebounds on a single possession before Kevin Alas was whistled for traveling. Pascual then missed a triple on an inbounds play with 1:11 left before Mark Cruz missed a trey attempt on the other end with a second to go. Abueva followed suit, except his team was able to corral the rebound, giving him another chance to get to the line where he made both his freebies, 67-62. Needing to foul twice to get into the penalty, San Sebastian lost 16 seconds before Cruz trooped to the line, earning a game-clinching split at the charity stripe as Letran lived to fight another day.

Cortes led the Knights with 16 points and nine rebounds, scoring eight in the second period to bring Letran back from its seven-point deficit. Kevin Alas stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, while Cruz was clutch, dropping eight of his 12 in the final quarter while dishing out five dimes in 26 minutes.

Shackled by foul trouble, Abueva played just 19 minutes but still managed to top-score for San Sebastian with a point for each minute played. Most of those came from the line, where he was 15-of-19, but he once again could not find his range from the field, finishing 2-for-11. Ian Sangalang added a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Pascual had yet another sub-par performance, eight points on 3-of-18 shooting.

San Sebastian, which leads the league in turnovers, committed 18 in this match, which Letran converted into 22 points. That turned out to be enough to overcome a huge disadvantage at the foul line, where the aggressive Stags shot 43 free throws to just 15 by Letran. Last season’s runners-up, now on a three-game losing streak, needed those free throws, however, as they made just 15 field goals in 57 tries. Letran doubled its opponent’s makes with a 30-of-67 clip.

With the right to face the San Beda Red Lions on the line, the two teams will once again meet on Wednesday, October 19. “Walang momentum dito, kasi alam mo naman ang character ng San Sebastian,” said coach Alas. “We have to be ready and we have to play with the same amount of intensity on Wednesday. Kung baga, wala ka nang iniisip na laro. Yun na ang last game namin.”

When asked if the quick turnaround would be a concern, Alas said, “Pareho lang naman, pareho lang kami maglalaro. Kung fatigue factor, baka mas pagod pa sila [The Stags] sa amin. Pero practically ang mga ganyang players [Abueva, Pascual], nakakaramdam lang ng pagod after the season.”

The scores:

Letran 70 – Cortes 16, K. Alas 15, Cruz 12, Racal 9, Almazan 6, J. Alas 4, Belorio 3, Gabriel 2, Dysam 2, Espiritu 1

San Sebastian 62 – Abueva 19, Sangalang 17, Pascual 8, Antipuesto 6, Jo. dela Cruz 4, del Rio 4, Miranda 2, Maiquez 2, Ferrer 0

Quarter scoring: 11-12, 28-26, 44-44, 70-62

ANOTHER game, another extended streak for the San Beda College Red Lions.

The defending champions entered the NCAA Finals for the sixth straight year, holding off a frenetic Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers rally to post an 83-74 win in the Final Four of the tournament’s 87th edition last October 17 at the Arena in San Juan.

“To give credit to Vergel [Meneses], I think that team is a well-coached team. It wasn’t easy for us, even if we led by 15, 16 points, so we just had to work and execute what we planned,” San Beda head coach Frankie Lim said after the game. “And kita mo hanggang dulo, they were trying to come back, down six points. Buti na lang composed ang mga players ko…and we stopped Matute and his three-point shots.”

Leading by 12 after the halftime break, the Red Lions doubled JRU’s six points in the third period’s first four minutes to arrive at their largest lead of the game, 59-42, as Kyle Pascual matched the Heavy Bombers’ production all on his own. With San Beda threatening to blow the game wide open, JRU turned to Nate Matute, who more than delivered. Starting with a triple at the 3:11 mark, the Fil-American sniper proceeded to score 12 of his side’s last 13 points of the quarter, which included two more triples, including one in transition with 37 seconds left to play. Closing out the period with a long two-pointer at the buzzer, Matute’s heroics got the score under double-digits, making it a more manageable 68-60 headed into the game’s last ten minutes.

At the dawn of the final period, charities by Pascual and a transition score by Anjo Caram extended the Red Lion advantage back to double-digits, 72-60. But a Raycon Kabigting triple and free throws by Romnick Mendoza put the difference at eight once more, 74-66 with seven minutes left. Forced to send back Dave Marcelo and Garvo Lanete, each of whom nursed four fouls each, the gamble worked for the Red and White as their presence on offense netted their team two scores.

Still refusing to go away, six straight by John Lopez sliced the lead in half and had JRU smelling an upset brewing, 78-72 with 1:07 left. Off a San Beda timeout, Lanete turned the ball over, giving possession back to the Heavy Bombers. Excellent ball movement earned Matute an open look, but he airballed the long bomb, forcing the Heavy Bombers to start fouling with 40 seconds left. Jake Pascual and Rome de la Rosa were up to the task, canning two sets of pressure-packed free throws to seal the win.

“We’re good,” Lim also added. “My boys are in pretty good shape, and they know the urgency. They want to be in the finals and they’re working for it.”

Building off the success he had in his team’s last game, a win over San Sebastian, de la Rosa scored 17 markers for the second game in a row, making half of his shots while leading the reigning champions in scoring. Marcelo overwhelmed the JRU interior, totaling 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks. Kyle and Jake Pascual also had their way down low as both garnered double-doubles, with Kyle notching 14 and 10, and Jake finishing with 10 and 11.

JRU was led by the 21 points of Matute, although he was benched for a seemingly long time to in the fourth. Combined with a renewed defensive focus on him, Matute was held without a point in crunchtime. Lopez finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards, while the starting backcourt of Alex Almario and John Villarias combined for 22 markers.

The Heavy Bombers were able to stick tight to San Beda in the rebounding and hustle point categories. But JRU left points on the floor, making just 27 of its 41 free throws and converting a mere 16 two-pointers in 52 attempts. San Beda, for its part, was 22-of-27 from the line and 29-of-68 shots inside the arc.

It is the end of the road for the Heavy Bombers, who played impressive ball down the stretch, rebounding from a 3-9 start to the season to close out with a 6-0 record and qualify for the Final Four from out of nowhere, keeping alive their own streak of postseason appearances as 2011 marks the fifth straight season the program has landed in the postseason. They will lose several veterans to eligibility however, with captain Raycon Kabigting at the top of that list. Also moving on will be versatile forward Jeckster Apinan and starting center John Montemayor.

San Beda, meanwhile, is in familiar territory and should expect to be heavy favorites against whoever emerges from the winner-take-all deciding game between the Letran Knights and the San Sebastian Stags. No matter who the opponent turns out to be, Lim said his squad is ready for the challenge. “The whole year, ang plano namin ay going towards a championship in the NCAA. Since November last year, we’ve been working very hard to get ourselves and the whole team ready for the NCAA Finals. Ito na yun, no looking back.”

The scores:

San Beda 83 – De la Rosa 17, Marcelo 16, K. Pascual 14, J. Pascual 10, Lanete 8, Amer 7, A. Semerad 7, Caram 2, D. Semerad 2, Villahermosa 0, Sorela 0

JRU 74 – Matute 21, Almario 12, Lopez 12, Villarias 10, Apinan 10, Kabigting 4, Mendoza 2, Paniamogan 2, Montemayor 1, Monserat 0

Quarter scoring: 22-21, 47-36, 68-60, 83-74

AFTER a grueling 18-game season, the NCAA moves on to host its own postseason party. Invited to the big bash are the reigning champions and their fiercest rivals, along with two unlikely, feel-good stories. Will the inevitable title matchup transpire, or can the underdogs deliberately miss out on the memo?

(1) San Beda College (16-2) vs. (4) Jose Rizal University (9-9)

Season scorecard: Aug. 10: San Beda 77, JRU 69; Sept. 14: JRU 76, San Beda 65

What they’ve done: Behind Garvo Lanete, Rome de la Rosa and Dave Marcelo, San Beda has asserted its claim as one of college ball’s most fearsome offensive units, topping the league in scoring (84.1 points per game), field goal shooting at 46.1 percent, three-point shooting (30.3%), assists (21.7 a contest) and fastbreak points (15.6 on average), while ranking second in free throw shooting (67.5 percent). The Red Lions can also lock down on the other end, holding opponents to 36.3 percent shooting from the field and fight for loose balls (45.5 boards a tussle), both third-best.

JRU barely exhibited a pulse after starting the season at 3-9 before going on a mind-boggling six-game win run to book a fifth consecutive Final Four/stepladder appearance. The Heavy Bombers jacked up their shooting percentage in the process, hiking the figure to a third-best 42.2 percent. They force the most number of turnovers at 21.9 a game, but commit the third-most as well (20.9).

Matching up: The defending champions have had a lot of trouble running against JRU, averaging just seven transition points in their two elimination round contests. That’s the primary reason why the Bombers have managed to become a concern for San Beda. Stopping the Red Lions’ early offense, which involves the early seal in the post when the first option on the break isn’t available, will be key for Vergel Meneses’ squad in the semifinals. To some degree, JRU’s system is tailor-made to stop Lanete and friends as its pressing, full-court defensive stance has been successful in delaying their vaunted fastbreak attack. Should the Heavy Bomber defense fail to put the brakes on San Beda, this game could get ugly, and end early.

The elephant in the room: The talent gap. For every good thing the Heavy Bombers have done to contain the Red Lions, there just seems to be too much firepower in Mendiola, and too little in Kalentong. While JRU flashes such a balanced attack and unselfish, team-first basketball anchored on the exploits of John Lopez, John Villarias and Nate Matute, their lack of depth is very glaring. Throw in the fact that San Beda has a plethora of options and is in a rich vain of form, having beaten San Sebastian twice in three days, and we could have one of the more lopsided semifinal matchups in years despite the nature of their regular season affairs.

Most likely scenario: San Beda should take this series without as much trouble or effort. JRU’s most concrete lifeline lies in avoiding getting blown out early, which could put the defending champions in a more vulnerable position. Otherwise, the Red and White look poised to run away with this one.

(2) San Sebastian College-Recoletos (16-2) vs. (3) Colegio de San Juan de Letran (14-4)

Season scorecard: Jul. 20: San Sebastian 71, Letran 62; Sept. 30: Letran 82, San Sebastian 81

What they’ve done: The offensive exploits of Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sangalang have been both noisy and well documented, but it’s in the other departments that the Stags have excelled as well. They hold opponents to a league-low 35.7 percent shooting from the floor, and lead the league in rebounding (52.1) and free throw shooting (68.5 percent). The only visible knock on their game is their penchant for throwing the ball over as they lead the NCAA in errors (21.8 a contest).

The Knights managed to double their win total from last year by grinding out the opposition on a daily basis. In traditional Letran fashion, they’re second in the NCAA in rebounding (50.1 a game), and force their foes to 20.1 errors a ballgame and 36 percent shooting from the field, both good for second overall. That’s compensated somewhat for their shooting woes. They’ve posted a 23.8 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc (dead last) and 39 percent overall, good for seventh.

Matching up: Ironically, the Knights take very good care of the leather whenever they play the Stags, averaging just 13 turnovers in their season split. That’s the kind of A-game Letran needs to showcase if it’s to extend the series, let alone knock off San Sebastian. Another key will be where both defenses allow the opposing stars to receive and grab the basketball. The Letran frontline has to put on a workmanlike effort in keeping Abueva off the boards and out of the paint, while Pascual and Anthony del Rio will have to pick their proverbial poison when guarding Kevin Alas. Do they exert extra pressure on him to deny the outside shot, or sag somewhat to have an edge in stopping his dribble penetration?

The elephant in the room: The mental game. For some reason, San Sebastian has displayed the penchant for giving up huge leads, barely surviving scares from bottom-feeders like EAC and Perpetual Help. The Stags surely can’t go into one of those seemingly self-imposed funks against a hungry Letran quintet that makes a living out of the other team’s mistakes.

Most likely scenario: The Stags have the edge in this series simply because of their three-headed monster. It’ll take a total defensive team effort from the Knights to keep in step with San Sebastian. And while that isn’t as far-fetched a proposition, Louie Alas and his troops should be ready to take pride in what they’ve accomplished this season, even if that includes the probable outcome of a Final Four exit.

GARVO Lanete made sure his program’s streak of finishing at the top of the standings after the elimination round stayed intact for another year.

Out of a timeout and with 19.3 seconds left on the clock, the fifth-year sureshot ran his defender, Anthony del Rio, off a screen and nailed an open three-pointer that gave San Beda College the go-ahead basket that led to an 88-85 win over San Sebastian College-Recoletos and the top seed in the Final Four of the the 87th season of the NCAA last October 14 at the Arena in San Juan.

“I expected [San Sebastian head coach] Topex [Robinson] to adjust in his gameplay and na-anticipate namin yung adjustments niya,” said San Beda head coach Frankie Lim of his counterpart on the other bench. “I’m just happy we got over these eliminations and still, for the fifth time on my watch, we ended the eliminations number one. That’s good for us, good for our school.”

Entering the fourth quarter down 65-62, Rome de la Rosa kept giving teammates back the lead, scoring on three separate occasions to put his squad on top. His layup with 1:38 left to play made it 81-79 before Calvin Abueva knotted things back up with a drive of his own. The deadlock didn’t last, as Lanete buried a triple with 1:15 left. Looking for the quick two, the Stags went to Ian Sangalang down low, and the third-year center responded with a basket to cut the deficit to a point, 84-83. An empty San Beda possession led to charities for Abueva, who drew David Semerad’s fifth foul while fighting for a rebound. The leading MVP candidate calmly sank both, shifting the lead to the Stags. That was when San Beda sued for time and worked to get Lanete open for the triple.

Looking for a response with 18.6 seconds left in the game, the Stags burned their last timeout. But, on the resultant play, Ronald Pascual threw the ball into the defense swarming Abueva, who could not come up with the loose ball. Forced to foul, the Stags put Anthony Semerad on the line, where he missed his first free throw, leaving a small window of opportunity open, with 6.1 seconds to make something out of it. After the Fil-Austrailian nailed the second freebie, San Sebastian quickly got the ball to Abueva, who heaved up a contested triple that missed its mark, giving the defending champions the win.

“It was big shots by Gabo [Garvo Lanete] on one of my timeouts at the endgame….I think that nailed it,” Lim said of Lanete, who executed the designed play perfectly. Lanete led San Beda with 27 points, making five out of his nine three-pointers. De la Rosa, who was moved to the power forward position after foul trouble to the Red Lion frontline, scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter while taking on the task of guarding Abueva. Anthony Semerad, the hero from their matchup just two days before, was unable to duplicate his hot shooting with just two made field goals, but went 7-for-10 from the line to finish with 12 points. Baser Amer came off the bench for 10 points, six rebounds and a team-best nine dimes.

Early offense by the Stags had them up 16-8 after a triple by Pascual with 4:01 left in the first. But San Beda wound up tying the game by the end of the period, and then kept up the pressure in the second with a 16-2 run in the quarter’s first four minutes. This time, however, the Stags did not go away quietly, getting 10 from Abueva to pull within four at the intermission.

In the third, it was San Sebastian’s turn to go on a run, scoring the first eight to surge ahead, 48-40. Unfortunately, foul trouble to Pascual and Sangalang prevented them from capitalizing further. With a 65-57 deficit after a jumper by the unheralded Lyle Antipuesto staring at the reigning champions, Amer nailed his second triple with 25 seconds left in the quarter. Del Rio was unable to answer back, with his miss allowing de la Rosa to score in transition, slicing the Stag lead to just a triple, 65-62 with one quarter left.

Forced to play for nearly the entire game, Abueva logged 34 minutes off the bench and produced 26 points, 13 rebunds, six assists, four steals and a block. Sangalang was held to 12 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes before fouling out, while Pascual totaled just 10 points in 27 minutes after posting only eight markers in the Wednesday defeat to the same Red Lions. “Sipag lang,” Lim said of his gameplan to stop Pascual. “Kailangan nandoon ka lang sa harap niya palagi, kasi magaling siya sa catch and shoot.”

It was a wasted effort for less ballyhooed Stags like Jovit dela Cruz, Michael Miranda and Antipuesto, all of whom were able to have an impact on the game. The trio combined for 30 markers, 10 rebounds, and three assists as they filled in for Sangalang and Pascual. Fifth-year floor general del Rio finished with seven points and 10 assists.

The win preserved San Beda’s streak of topping the eliminations, a run stretching all the way back to 2006. Its victory arranges a Final Four showdown with the only team outside San Sebastian that’s inflicted a loss on them this season, the JRU Heavy Bombers, whom it’ll play at 2 p.m. on Monday, October 17. “It’s gonna be different this time because the last time we played them, we were off for 12 days, coming off a 12-day break,” Lim vowed in reference to that round two loss. “This time, galing kami sa isang very high-level [game] of basketball.”

It’s a similar situation for the second-ranked Stags, who face off against third-placed Letran, a unit that defeated them in overtime in the second round a few weeks ago, at 4 p.m. of the same day.

The scores:

San Beda 88 – Lanete 27, de la Rosa 17, A. Semerad 12, Amer 10, Marcelo 8, D. Semerad 4, K. Pascual 4, Caram 3, J. Pascual 2, Villahermosa 1, Sorela 0

San Sebastian 85 – Abueva 26, Sangalang 12, dela Cruz 11, Miranda 10, Pascual 10, Antipuesto 9, del Rio 7, Vitug 0, Ferrer 0, Balucanag 0, Maiquez 0

Quarter scoring: 19-19, 44-40, 62-65, 88-85

EIGHTEEN elimination round games were not enough for the San Beda College Red Lions.

The defending champions forced a playoff for the number one seed in the upcoming Final Four and routed their first round tormentors with a 91-70 win over San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the 87th season of the NCAA last October 12 at the Arena in San Juan.

“I just asked the players to play with a lot of heart,” said head coach Frankie Lim after the game. “We have to give back to our supporters,” he said, and boy, did his charges respond.

Up by a single point, 17-16 after Ian Sangalang swiped a San Beda rebound and laid it in, the Red Lions went on a 12-2 tear in the last 4:34 of the first quarter, with a triple by Rome de la Rosa and two scores by Baser Amer leading the way. A combined 3-of-4 stint at the line by Calvin Abueva and Sangalang got the lead down to single digits at the dawn of the second period, 29-21, but the Red and White quickly rebuilt their double-digit lead. With seconds remaining in the half, San Beda turned a block on Abueva into a fastbreak opportunity for Garvo Lanete, padding its advantage to 45-32, only to find out that four ticks was enough for Abueva to cross the half court line and launch a triple that counted, sending both sides to their locker rooms at 45-35.

If the Stags were hoping that triple would fire them up in the second half, it didn’t show as San Beda added to its advantage quickly with a 6-1 mini-run at the start of the third. Then, Anthony Semerad changed the complexion of the game, nailing back-to-back triples off Amer assists to put his team up 59-41 with half the quarter gone by. A free throw and a robbery play off the subsequent inbounds by Abueva cut that lead to 15, 59-44. But, by then, their opponents had found their groove. Five straight bloated the lead to 20 for the first time in the game after a split by Dave Marcelo before Semerad scored four more points to extend the lead to 68-45 with a minute left to play. Opting not to gamble on an unlikely fourth quarter rally, Stags head coach Topex Robinson decided against fielding Ronald Pascual and Abueva in the fourth and gave Sangalang limited minutes, essentially waving the white flag over the last 10 minutes.

Calling Semerad the game’s x-factor, Lim said, “Early on, Anthony didn’t play much [because of recurring injury], so medyo mahirap yung rotation ko especially when they [an opponent] zone. We probably broke their backs nung nag-zone sila [in this game].”

Lanete led his squad with 17 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Semerad added 13 on 4-of-5 shooting, while Jake Pascual and Marcelo provided the muscle down low, combining for 20 points and 17 rebounds, with Pascual adding a team-high six dimes. The lopsided nature of the game allowed San Beda to field nearly its entire roster, sending in Ryusei Koga and Paolo Pontejos with 3:18 left on the clock. Lim even teased a Sudan Daniel return, but ultimately did not field him in again. Afterwards, Lim told the press, “Hindi maglalaro si Daniel, bench warmer lang siya,” contradicting an earlier statement of his that Daniel would be ready by October.

Abueva led the Stags with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes of play, though he turned the ball over eight times. Sangalang posted 13 points and 10 boards, while Pascual was held to eight markers on 2-of-10 shooting, missing all four of his two-point attempts.

The two 16-2 squads will clash again on Friday, October 14 at 2 p.m., with the winner claiming the top rung in the standings and a Final Four match-up with the fourth-seeded JRU Heavy Bombers. The loser will slip to second place and face off against the third-ranked Letran Knights. It’s a position Lim covets, saying, “Every single year, if I’m right, I always ended up at number one at the end of eliminations. Gusto naming i-maintain.”

The scores:

San Beda 91 – Lanete 17, A. Semerad 13, J. Pascual 10, Marcelo 10, de la Rosa 9, Lim 8, Caram 6, Amer 6, Sorela 5, K. Pascual 4, D. Semerad 3, Villahermosa 0, Koga 0, Pontejos 0

San Sebastian 70 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 13, Pascual 8, Miranda 6, Maiquez 6, Ferrer 6, dela Cruz 4, Balucanag 4, Vitug 3, del Rio 0, Antipuesto 0, Grilli 0

Quarter scoring: 29-18, 45-35, 68-47, 91-70

HAVING put away the College of Saint Benilde in its NCAA debut game, the Lyceum of the Philippines University was confident it could repeat the feat.

After handily defeating a Carlo Lastimosa-less CSB in the season opener of both teams, the Pirates needed an extra five minutes in the rematch, pulling out a 94-89 win in the final encounter for both these squads in the 87th season of the NCAA last October 10 at the Arena in San Juan.

In a back and forth game that had no team lead by more than six points, featured 15 deadlocks and 17 lead changes, consecutive baskets by Floricel Guevarra propped the Pirates up at the start of the fourth quarter, 63-57, only to see CSB knot things up at 75-all after charities by Michael Pate with 1:15 left on the clock. Out of a timeout, Lyceum responded with a split at the line by Mark Francisco, who was fouled after hauling down Guevarra’s miss, only to see St. Benilde take a two-point lead after a triple by point guard Luis Sinco. Guevarra turned the ball over on the next possession, and Shane Ko was forced to send Lastimosa to the line with 18.5 seconds. Faced with a chance to post a two-possession lead, Lastimosa missed his second charity, allowing the Pirates to come right back down and tie the game again at 79-all after a booming outside shot from Guevarra with 5.4 seconds left. Off their timeout, the Blazers zipped the ball to Paolo Taha in the post. The athletic forward managed to back down his defender before kicking the ball out to an open Pate, who missed the shot, forcing the extra period.

There, Sinco struck again with a triple to open hostilities halfway through the first minute. But the Blazers were unable to build on their advantage, as Lastimosa missed his next three shots, allowing Lyceum to overtake them with nine unanswered and erect an 88-82 lead. After suing for time, CSB got the ball to Pate, who attacked the rim for a deuce before Guevarra nailed a contested jumper over the outstretched hands of Anton Altamirano. A newly reinserted Jan Tan drew Onofre Napiza’s final foul and made the two charities on the next play, while Guevarra couldn’t replicate his feat. Isolated against Shane Ko, Lastimosa drew the Lyceum point guard’s fourth personal, but once again could only get a split at the line, making it 90-87 with a minute left.

Needing a score to potentially put the nail in the coffin, Lyceum called a timeout. But, on the ensuing play, Chris Cayabyab missed on his fadeaway. Looking for the quick tie, Pate missed a triple, which Francisco pulled down, drawing Altamirano’s third foul in the process. With 23.8 seconds left, the undersized power forward sank both to pad the LPU advantage, 92-87 affair with 23.8 seconds left. Lastimosa turned on the afterburners and laid the ball up and in in less than five seconds, keeping the door slightly ajar for a St. Benilde comeback. Altamirano quickly fouled as soon as Ko received the inbounds, which turned out to be the best thing they could do as the normally steady Ko missed both charities with 16.4 seconds left. Unfortunately for CSB, Kevin Lacap’s quick hands forced a steal while St. Benilde brought the ball up, giving him a wide open lane for a layup with 7.1 seconds left. Pate once again tried a desperation triple, but overshot it into the hands of Guevarra to the delight of the Lyceum crowd.

The two sides had to be quickly separated though, as Ralph Nayve felt he was elbowed on the last play and nearly charged the Lyceum players before his teammates and the referees pulled him aside.

“Based on the pre-season rankings, nag-overachieve naman kami,” said a happy but exhausted Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan after the game. “First time namin, so hindi namin ma-compare [to a previous season].” After beginning the season 4-2, the Pirates held the fourth seed for an extended period of time before remaining competitive in the battle for the last playoff spot in the second round. All this transpired amidst what Tan called a year with “maraming ups and downs,” referring to injuries to key players, as well as the in-season dismissal of center Allan Santos.

Guevarra top-scored with a season high 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting, 16 coming in the final 15 minutes of the game. Lyceum’s sixth man also chipped in eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in his foul-shortened stint on the floor. Starting big men Napiza and Francisco combined for 24 points and 20 rebounds, while Cayabyab and team captain Lacap scored 11 each. It was Napiza’s and Lacap’s final year of eligibility, and Tan credited their hustle as being key to the win.

Lastimosa led CSB with 24 points, while also chipping in with six rebounds and four assists. But last season’s NCAA Rookie of the Year missed all five of his outside attempts, and was 6-of-10 from the field. Tan contributed a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, but was limited to 24 minutes as St. Benilde tried its best to match-up with the small lineup Lyceum had on the floor. Pate scored 11, while Sinco chimed in with 10.

The more aggressive Pirates got to the line a whopping 52 times throughout the game, making 38 of their foul shots to just an 18-of-31 clip for St. Benilde. Instead, the Blazers tried to win the game from long-range, making a third of their 21 triples while holding Lyceum to just 2-for-9 from downtown. Overall, CSB shot a slightly higher percentage, 42 percent to 40 by LPU.

Finishing with a 7-11 record, Lyceum wound up tied with the Mapúa Cardinals, just on the outside of the Final Four in the fifth and sixth spots. That’s good enough, however, for a berth in the upcoming Philippine Collegiate Champions League qualifying round, a competition the Pirates are more than familiar with, having won the “Grinder” award for making the Sweet 16 for four years in a row. “Isa yun sa goals ko sa NCAA,” admitted Tan of returning to the league that gave Lyceum a wider stage to showcase its program.

St. Benilde had to settle for a 6-12 card, one more win than its total from last season. The Blazers had a chance of making the Final Four, but the departure of forward Mark Romero from the team to migrate with his family to the United States, coupled with a near-split by Lastimosa from the school, cost them several winnable games. Headed into next season however, the core of the team will still be largely intact, as only team captain Tim McCoy and third-string playmaker Andrew Musngi will be lost due to eligibility. The likes of Roberto Bartolo, Tyler Fikowski, Dexter Garcia, Ronnel Lastimosa, JR Ongteco and Joel Tolentino appear to be the front-runners for roster spots in 2012.

The scores:

Lyceum 94 – Guevara 27, Napiza 14, Cayabyab 11, Lacap 11, Francisco 10, Laude 8, Ko 4, Mallari 4, Anacta 3, Azores 2, Lesmoras 0

CSB 89 – Lastimosa 24, Tan 12, Pate 11, Sinco 10, Nayve 9, Taha 8, Deles 6, McCoy 3, de la Paz 2, Altamirano 2, de Guzman 2, Carlos 0

Quarter scoring: 18-16, 36-37, 59-57, 79-79, 94-89

JOSE Rizal University exhibited the defensive intensity that took it from the cellar to the Final Four, while Emilio Aguinaldo College broke down again, epitomizing its failed campaign.

Leading by 10 at the half, EAC fell victim to a ratcheted up version of JRU’s press, getting outscored 58-35 in the second half and handing JRU a 90-77 triumph in the 87th season of the NCAA last October 10 at the Arena in San Juan.

“We started flat, we had a bad start,” said JRU head coach Vergel Meneses after the game. “Sinabi ko sa kanila, ‘Gusto kong manalo. I want to build momentum going into the Final Four.’”

A 19-8 run anchored on three triples by rookie Jolas Paguia broke a closely-fought match, headed into the game’s intermission. But some locker room goading by Meneses woke up his troops. “Every time ganoon ang attitude nila, nag-rerelax, nakakatikim sila [a sermon],” the “Aerial Voyager” explained.

The Heavy Bombers clearly responded to their mentor, allowing just two charities from Russel Yaya in the third quarter’s first six minutes while scoring 23 points themselves as veterans John Lopez and Raycon Kabigting accounted for the first 12 of that run. Down 55-44, a charity by Roy Villegas and a triple from Igee King sandwiched a basket by Lopez to get the lead down to single-digits, 57-48. And, by the end of the quarter, the Generals found themselves trailing by just six points after charities by Milan Vargas.

EAC continued to threaten in the early moments of the fourth, pulling to within two after five straight by Jan Jamon, 64-62, with 8:30 left to play. But JRU was not about to let this one slip out of their hands. Nate Matute nailed a triple and then scored off an assist by Alex Almario in transition to extend the lead to 69-62. Vargas answered with a fastbreak basket of his own, but the Bombers had found their groove, busting out a 13-1 blitz that pegged things at 82-65 with four minutes remaining. Continuing to struggle against the press, the Generals could not string together enough firepower to form a run, allowing Meneses to send in his reserves with 1:41 left in the game.

Lopez topscored for for JRU with 17 points and also contributed five rebounds, five assists, and a steal and a block. Jeckster Apinan chipped in with 14 points, six boards, two dimes and three swipes, while John Villarias and Matute scored 12 each.

Like their first encounter, where turnover points keyed JRU’s round one victory, the Heavy Bombers forced 26 turnovers, leading to 36 easy points. They also doubled the Generals’ fastbreak points, 18 to 9, scoring 10 in the final quarter.

Vargas had his best game of the season, scoring 20 on 6-of-9 shooting to go with four assists. Jamon added 16, while Paguia accounted for 15 points, 13 in the first half, and seven boards.

The loss doomed the Generals to solo last place with a 4-14 record, though they did manage to double their win total from last season when they shared the cellar with the Perpetual Help Altas. With only Claude Cubo and Dhan Diolanto wrapping up their eligibility and a solid scout team with Cameroonians Happi Noube and Jacques Manga waiting in the wings, though, EAC may find itself able to build upon the positives from this season heading into next year.

JRU, meanwhile, capped off its improbable run to even its record at 9-9, which includes a six-game winning streak to close out the elimination round. Seeded fourth, they’ll face either San Sebastian or San Beda in the Final Four depending on the results of Wednesday’s game between those two teams. Regardless of which team they draw, Meneses believes that slowing the pace down is the key, citing the Red Lions and Stags’ ability to execute as both teams’ biggest strengths. “Isang mistake lang, baka iba na ang result,” Meneses said, aware that the margin of error for his squad is small especially as given their twice-to-beat disadvantage. That series will start next Monday, October 17 at 2 p.m.

The scores:

JRU 90 – Lopez 17, Apinan 14, Villarias 12, Matute 12, Almario 10, Kabigting 10, Montemayor 7, Monserat 6, Mendoza 2, Paniamogan 0, de la Paz 0, Tiongco 0, Gaco 0, Dizon 0

EAC 77 – Vargas 20, Jamon 16, Paguia 15, Cubo 9, Yaya 6, King 3, Villegas 3, Chiong 2, Torralba 2, Juliano 1, Sanchez 0

Quarter scoring: 16-17, 32-42, 62-56, 90-77