SBC Red Lions rout LPU Pirates

      Red Lions rout Pirates

by rick olivares

The much-ballyhooed duel between San Beda College and Lyceum of the Philippines University fizzled out when the reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association champions Red Lions bucked the challenge from the upstart squad from Intramuros for a 96-79 win in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup on Wednesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Pirates led early in the first quarter with the strong inside game of Mike Nzeusseu and their full-court press. But when the Red Lions settled down, they showed their depth and championship mettle with Ranbill Tongco drilling a triple with more than a minute left in the second period for a 51-49 lead they would never surrender.

San Beda blew the game wide open in the third period as Arnaud Noah and Clint Doliguez piled on the points while as a team, the Red Lions shredded Lyceum’s trap to pieces.

“The players were very excited that’s why we started bad. In the second quarter, I told them to relax and to prepare for the press,” San Beda Head Coach Boyet Fernandez said. “With Coach Topex [Robinson], Lyceum is a different team. If we want to beat Lyceum, we have to raise our intensity level and to more than match them.”

Although the Red Lions led, 55-50, in the first half, Fernandez was concerned that they gave up that many points. Come the second half, his troops heeded the call and they held Lyceum to 29 points.

Late in the fourth period, Robinson put in his bench to give them some badly needed exposure.

San Beda was led by Robert Bolick Jr.’s 16 points, four rebounds and nine assists, while AC Soberano added 13 points.

The Pirates’ CJ Perez topscored for his side with 15 points and seven rebounds while Jayvee Marcelino added 14.

University of Perpetual Help beat University of the East (UE), 72-68, in a match-up of struggling sides. Heading into their Wednesday tussle, the Altas were 1-2 while the Red Warriors were an even 2-2.

With both sides featuring wholly all-Filipino sides, it was the Altas who gained the upper hand in the first half and while they briefly lost the lead, they regained it and preserved their advantage to the end.

The Altas posted a lead of 13-points after a GJ Ylagan triple, 52-39, midway through the third period. UE slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually overhauling the deficit after a basket by Mark Maloles to make it, 61-60.

The Altas, however, uncorked a 9-0 blast to regain control, 69-61, behind Jack Hao’s five points and a pair of baskets by center Rommel Mangalino and Daganon.

Daganon and Hao led Perpetual Help with 14 points each, with the former adding 10 rebounds. Mangalino contributed 12 points.

For the Red Warriors, only second-year forward Alvin Pasaol finished in double digits with 19. UE’s other key players—Mark Olayon and Clark Derige—were each held to six points each.