Lions assert might, devour Chiefs

Games Saturday
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)

12 p.m. - EAC vs Mapua
3 p.m. - UPHSD vs Letran

MANILA, Philippines — San Beda delivered its best performance of the season as it mauled Arellano University, 96-61, on Friday to stay on the prowl in the 98th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

With its defense clicking and its offense humming, the Lions went on full throttle early and never looked back to essay one of their most impressive efforts of the year.

James Kwekuteye, JB Bahio and Winston Ynot fired 13 points apiece and presided over the carnage for San Beda, which secured its fifth win in seven outings and its foothold inside the magic four.

It was a bloodbath like no other for the Lions, who led by as much as 51 points twice and were never really threatened the rest of the game.

A white-hot offense was half of the reason that San Beda dominated AU as all but one of the 15 players fielded in by coach Yuri Escueta contributed at least two points.

The other half was pure, unadulterated rock-solid defense.

“We’ve got to give it to the coaches, they prepared us in our defense,” said Peter Alfaro, who chipped in seven points.

San Beda may have learned from its heartbreaking 83-80 defeat to Jose Rizal Wednesday in a duel where the former was undone by a flat, sputtering start as it came up short in end despite a furious fight back.

And the Lions were merciless and unfettered in that impressive stretch when they held the Chiefs to just 33 points in the first 30 minutes of the game on scores of nine nine in the opening quarter, 14 in the second and 10 in the third to lead, 84-33.

It was only when Escueta sent in his shock troopers in the final canto when AU managed to salvage some measure of pride and trim the embarrassing deficit.

When it was over, AU slipped to 4-4 with hopes of reclaiming its lost pride in future games.

The scores:

San Beda 96 — Kwekuteye 13, Bahio 13, Ynot 11, Sanchez 10, Cortez 10, Andrada 7, Alfaro 7, Cometa 6, Cuntapay 5, Jopia 4, Tagala 3, Payosing 3, Visser 2, Tagle 2, Alloso 0.

AU 61 — Menina 10, Doromal 8, Flores 7, Oliva 7, Sunga 7, Mantua 6, Domingo 5, Abastillas 4, Punzalan 3, Talampas 3, Mallari 1, Tolentino 0, Oftana 0.

Quarterscores: 29-9; 55-23; 84-33; 96-61