Red Lions in hunt for share of lead

MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion San Beda guns for a share of the lead with San Sebastian and Letran as it takes on Arellano U today even as Lyceum tries to bounce back from back-to-back setbacks in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Lions routed the Perpetual Help Altas, 82-52, and clipped the Lyceum Pirates, 89-69, to keep a winning run that ended with a record 18-game sweep of last year’s edition although the Mendiola-based squad is hard-pressed to retain the crown without MVP Sudan Daniel, out for the rest of the season with an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury.

A win by the Lions in their 4 p.m. duel with the Chiefs, who dropped two of their first three matches, will keep them in step with the Stags and the Knights, both unbeaten in three starts.

“We have prepared for this tournament with a knowledge that we will try to win the championship without Su (Daniel),” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who steered the Lions to four straight finals appearances, winning three crowns.

“Slowly but surely, the boys who we expect to step up have been responding to the challenge,” he added.

Lyceum hopes to check its skid after a sweep of its first two games as it clashes with winless Mapua at 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, the NCAA sacked Emilio Aguinaldo center Claude Cubo after he was tossed out for punching Lyceum’s Onofre Napiza in the fourth quarter of the Generals’ 73-67 win over the Pirates last Friday.

The 6-4 Cubo punched Napiza in the head in a rebound scuffle with 7.44 minutes left in the game for an automatic ejection and a one-game suspension.

“The offense he committed was a flagrant foul 2, which warrants an automatic one-game suspension,” said league commission Aric del Rosario.

Cubo finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds before he was ejected. The suspension, however, automatically disqualifies him from any individual award, including the MVP plum.

It marked the fourth time in two weeks that the league has sacked a player or a referee for misconduct.

San Sebastian’s ace Calvin Abueva served out a one-game ban for an infraction he committed in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals duel with eventual champion San Beda last year.

The NCAA also suspended Mapua’s Fil-Palestinian rookie Yousef Taha and Letran’s Kris Alas and Jamil Gabawan for one-game each and referee Matt Calizar for three games.