Red Lions rout Heavy Bombers, still undefeated
MB.com.ph
Garvo Lanete fuelled a hot San Beda College start by dropping nine points in the first period as the Red Lions romped to a 78-46 win over the Jose Rizal University Bombers and clinched the first twice-to-beat incentive in the Final Four of the 86th NCAA basketball tournament on Monday at The Arena in San Juan.Lanete hit back-to-back triples to open the game and the Lions sprinted to an 18-point lead which they courageously protected to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games.
Lanete finished with 23 points on an impressive 6-of-7 shooting while Adler Dela Rosa and Borgie Hermida backed him up with a combined 23 points.
With the win, the Lions moved two wins shy of completing a sweep of the eliminations that will give them an automatic finals berth.
The Lions are looking to become only the second team in 13 years to complete a sweet sweep. The last team to achieve the feat was San Sebastian when it went 12-0 in 1997.
But San Beda coach Frankie Lim brushed aside the idea.
"If it happens, it happens (sweep). But my main concern right now is the championship," Lim said.
Using their height advantage and speed, the Lions ripped the game wide apart by scoring 26 points from fast breaks while forcing the Heavy Bombers to commit 20 turnovers.
So tight were the Lions' defense that no Bombers scored in double figures.
JRU dropped to 11-4 for third.
San Beda's current 14-0 card matched its own feat when the Lions roared to a 14-game winning streak in 2006 when they captured their first title in a three-peat run.
The victory, fashioned out before a boisterous JRU crowd, also moved the San Beda a win short of matching the Stags' 15 straight win last year.
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