Red Lions hand Blazers 6th straight defeat

San Beda big men Rome Dela Rosa and Sudan Daniel imposed their will inside the paint to power the Red Lions to an 87-61 crushing of the St. Benilde Blazers in the 86th NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan City.

Dela Rosa and Daniel combined for 25 points and 15 rebounds as San Beda won its seventh straight game while St. Benilde, after a 70-64 victory against Arellano, suffered its sixth consecutive loss for eight spot. Perpetual Help is at the cellar in the league’s nine-team cast and has yet to win after seven games. Daniel also had two blocks for the Lions, who scored 50 points in the second half in the one-sided match. Garvo Lanete returned from a one-game absence due to mild sprain and poured in 10 of his 12 points in the fourth with the final score the only thing left to be settled. "We started to make our shots in the third quarter and that sparked our big second half run," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, as they warmed up for the Lions' much-awaited showdown with last year's finals tormentor San Sebastian on August 18. The Red Lions also had a 65-point scoring splurge in a 92-57 rout of the Arellano U Chiefs last week. After a slim s7-35 halftime lead, the Lions unleashed their fury in the second half to pull away from the Blazers. It was San Beda’s fourth straight win against St. Benilde since the second round of the 2008 season. "I think our advantage entering their game is our size," said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. "We started to make our shots in the third quarter and that sparked our big second half run," said Lim, whose team made 17-of-30 from the field in the final two quarters. Showing the size advantage to CSB, and perhaps to San Sebastian, the Red Lions dominated the boards, 48-22, including a 19-8 edge in the offensive glass. Ex-RP U-18 standout Mark de Guzman finished with 16 points, behind four three-pointers. He also had four rebounds and three assists. Rookie transferee Carlo Lastimosa, nephew of former PBA star Jojo, added 14 points but was held to just two points in the second half where the Lions utilized their vicious running game. – JVP, GMANews.TV