Blazers, Knights seal NCAA semis cast

Games Tuesday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

11 a.m. – UPHSD vs Letran

2:30 p.m. – San Beda vs CSB

MANILA, Philippines — College of St. Benilde and Letran showed unshakeable resolve as it downed their respective foes to catch the last semifinal bus in NCAA Season 101 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

The Blazers found a way to end its losing spell to old nemesis in the Mapua Cardinals and eked out a 74-72 victory, while Knights showed their mastery of Arellano University Chiefs with a 77-69 win that sealed them the last two semis.

There, CSB will tackle Group B No. 1 San Beda, while Letran clashes with Group A No. 1 University of Perpetual Help Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in a best-of-three affair.

CSB’s win ended Mapua’s back-to-back bid while putting the former in a position to make it back to the finals for the second straight year and another shot at its second championship in the grand old league.

“Beating Mapua was really something, we almost let this one slip away,” said CSB coach Charles Tiu.

And they almost did as Jc Recto missed a pair of foul shots and Cyrus Nitura, who plucked the offensive rebound, bricked a jumper before the buzzer sounded.

It would have knotted the count and potentially forced overtime had it all gone in.

It ended CSB’s frustration against Mapua, which swept the former in last year’s finale to claim its first championship in almost three decades.

“Everybody was counting us out, there were naysayers from within and the fans. Nobody believed in our team so I told them, we have something to prove. The job’s not done,” said Tiu.

The scores:

First Game

CSB 74 – Celis 18, Torres 12, Ynot 11, Liwag 9, Sanchez 6, Umali 5, Ancheta 5, Gaspay 4, Morales 2, Cajucom 2, Oli 0.

Mapua 72 – Recto 18, Cuenco 17, Gonzales 11, Sapasap 7, Nitura 4, Concepcion 4, Delos Reyes 4, Lazarte 4, Escamis 3, Igliane 0, Abdulla 0, Reyes 0.

Quarterscores: 24-17; 47-31; 60-53; 74-72

Second Game

Letran 77 – Estrada 19, Santos 15, Roque 11, Buensalida 10, Omega 8, Montecillo 6, Cuajao 5, Manalili 3, Gammad 0.

AU 69 – Ongotan 23, Cabotaje 18, Libang 9, Geronimo 6, Vinoya 5, Valencia 4, Demetria 4, Camay 0, Abiera 0, Hernal 0, Borromeo 0, Acop 0.

Quarterscores: 17-20; 39-31; 62-54; 77-69

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