Letran, San Sebastian try to get playoff push back on track
THEIR Final Four push stymied of late by a string of losses, the Letran Knights and San Sebastian Stags are out to get themselves back on track when they return to National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 action against separate opponents today.
Letran (9-6) faces off with season hosts Arellano Chiefs (4-10) at 2 p.m. while the Stags (7-6) takes on the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (4-10) at 4 p.m. Venue is the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Knights have lost back-to-back matches the last one just last Tuesday, 75-63, at the hands of the defending champions San Beda Red Lions.
They were in the thick of things for two and half quarters in said game until the Lions unleashed a telling 20-0 run in the third quarter to create a considerable distance from which the Knights could not recover from.
Big man Larry Muyang (16 points) and veteran Jerrick Balanza (11 points) tried to rally their team back but eventually fell short in their push.
Out to add to the woes of Letran are the Chiefs, who are coming off a 75-69 victory over the downward-spiralling College of Saint Benilde Blazers on Sept. 27.
Meanwhile, the Stags have lost three straight games after winning five in a row to make their way to the top half of the standings.
The most of recent of San Sebastian’s losses was care of the tail-ending Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 79-75, last Friday.
San Sebastian never really got much headway in the game, trailing the Generals for majority of the time despite an offensive explosion from veteran Allyn Bulanadi who finished with 28 points.
Alvin Capobres added 13 and RK Ilagan 10 but their efforts proved to be not enough to help their team avert dropping its third straight game.
The Stags hope to halt their skid against the Heavy Bombers, who have lost back to back entering today’s game. —