Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8) – Reigning champions Colegio De San Juan De Letran Knights surged to their fourth straight win in NCAA Season 97 after dominating erstwhile unbeaten Mapua Cardinals, 80-60, on Friday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
Jeo Ambohot muscled his way with a double-double performance for Letran with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Rhenz Abando also contributed big with 14 markers and nine boards.
In the first quarter, the Knights were on the verge of losing momentum after big man Louie Sangalang was slapped with a disqualifying foul for throwing the ball to the face of Cardinals counterpart Louie Bonifacio.
But the undeterred Letran side banked on their experience in converting their successful offensive plays – mostly from beyond the arc – to finish the first canto with the lead, and extend their advantage to double digits in halftime.
The third quarter saw both teams outhustling each other defensively, but the defending titlists were more assertive in denying their opponents from scoring as the Cardinals were limited to just 10 points.
Letran – who remains on top of the team standing with a 4-0 slate – tallied its biggest lead of the game in the payoff period, 72-46, off back-to-back triples from Brent Paraiso and a powerful dunk from Abando.
Mapua fell to a 3-1 record with Toby Agustin the lone standout in the team’s first loss of the season after finishing with 14 points. Their previous scoring reliables Paolo Hernandez and Warren Bonifacio struggled with only eight and six markers, respectively.
The Knights will be back on April 17 after a week-long break against Lyceum Pirates while the Cardinals will battle the Perpetual Help Altas on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The Scores:
LETRAN 80 – Ambohot 16, Abando 14, Paraiso 10, Javillonar 10, Caralipio 8, Fajarito 6, Mina 5, Reyson 5, Yu 3, Guarino 3, Olivario 0, Sangalang 0.
MAPUA 60 – Agustin 14, Pido 9, Hernandez 8, Gamboa 6, Bonifacio 6, Garcia 6, Mercado 4, Lacap 3, Milan 2, Asuncion 2, Nocum 0, Salenga 0, Sual 0.
Quarterscores: 20-12, 47- 32, 63-42, 80-60
