Centro Escolar University withstood a late rally by Marinerong Pilipino-San Beda for a 72-63 victory in the battle of champions on Tuesday to bolster its Top 2 bid in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The Scorpions, the reigning UCAL champions, found their rhythm early, stayed in control throughout the match but needed to withstand a late rally by the Red Lions to secure their third win in four games.
“As I’ve said in my pre-game speech, what I wrote on the board aside from the technicalities and Xs and Os is “David and Goliath”. San Beda is a strong team. They’re the Goliaths in this game and we’re the Davids but nothing is impossible for us as long as we believe we have a David inside us,” said Perlas.
Abdul-Wahab Olusesi tallied 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Franz Ray Diaz had 15 and Jerome Santos had 12 for the Scorpions, who could advance outright to the semifinals with another win against also-ran CCI-Yengskivel at the close of the elimination round on Thursday.
The NCAA champions battled back from a 20-point deficit and pulled within four with three minutes left in the fourth but blew their chance to turn the game with an erratic finish.
The loss snapped the Red Lion’s three-game winning streak.
As it is, San Beda needs to beat EcoOil-La Salle (4-0) on Thursday to force a three-way tie with CEU and La Salle for first place. The Green Archers have already secured its place in the semis on the strength of their 28-point victory over the Scorpions last April 2.
In the other game also Tuesday, Go Torakku-St. Clare pulled away for a 118-84 victory over CCI-Yengskivel to halt its three-game losing spell and earn a shot for twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
No team will be eliminated after the six-team, single round classification round. The top two teams will advance outright to the semis while the No. 3 and 4 teams will earn a twice-to-beat advantage over the No. 5 and 6 teams.
Go Torakku-St. Clare and CCI-Yengskivel, both tied at 1-3 record, shoot for the coveted No. 4 seat against separate rivals Thursday.
Go Torakku-St. Clare takes on winless Keanzel Basketball (0-4) at 4 p.m. while CCI-Yengskivel faces CEU at 5:30 p.m.
