San Beda vs La Salle for PCCL Final 4

From Manila Bulettin Sports

UNDEFEATED NCAA CHAMPIONS San Beda College, hoping to become the first NCAA team to rule the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, tries to make a big stride towards that goal when it tangles with De La Salle University for a Final Four berth on Monday at The Arena in San Juan City.

Game time is 4 p.m. with the Red Lions expected to be led by American import Sudan Daniel, the reigning NCAA MVP. Clashing in the other Elite 8 match at 2 p.m. are Far Eastern University and Adamson University.

No NCAA team has ever won the championship since the inception of the league in 2003, with UAAP teams Ateneo, La Salle, FEU and University of the East dominating the field in different years.

Banking on the monster game of Daniel, San Beda earned a trip to the Elite 8 by mauling UE, 86-64.

Daniel tallied 20 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes highlighted by 16 points in the third for the Red Lions, who scored the game’s first 11 points and led by 29 points (79-50) in the fourth quarter.

Defending champion Ateneo, meanwhile, arranged a semifinal showdown against CESAFI winner University of Cebu on Tuesday by repulsing a gritty Mapua squad, 65-56.

The Blue Eagles were caught flatfooted for three quarters as the Cardinals led by 15 points and even trailed 49-44 on a Jason Pascual triple with more than nine minutes left in the payoff period of the physical contest.

But Kirk Long, Nico Salva and Eman Monfort sparked a telling 15-0 run that was was aided by a technical foul by Mapua's Allan Mangahas with 5:26 to go for hitting an official after contesting a foul on Macky Acosta. That infraction allowed Ateneo to hit 3-of-4 freethrows for a 57-49 lead.

With the win, the Loyola-based squad, also the three-time UAAP champions, arranged an interesting semifinal showdown with the CESAFI winners University of Cebu led by highly-touted big man Junemar Fajardo on Tuesday.