Lions to roar for 8th
We’re facing Saint Benilde, which is very good team, so no rest for us
San Beda College shoots for its eighth straight win while University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and San Sebastian College formally welcome the return of their respective coaches when Season 95 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament unwraps today at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Red Lions tip things off when they battle erstwhile leader College of Saint Benilde at 12 noon while the Altas and Stags collide at 2 p.m. with Egay Macaraya and Frankie Lim resuming their respective coaching duties.
Meanwhile, Lyceum of the Philippines University seeks to get back on winning track when it clashes with Arellano University in the 4 p.m. featured battle.
Macaraya was slapped with a one-game suspension for his unsportsmanlike conduct after being caught instructing his player to slap the injured hand of an opposing player.
Lim, for his part, will be resuming his bench role after going on an indefinite leave following an embarrassing 56-102 loss to the Red Lions last week.
The Altas, however, immediately asked him to return with athletic director Sammy Acaylar saying that everything is now back to normal.
Still, attention will be on the Red Lions.
After racing to seven straight wins, the Lions are favored to go all the way to dominate the eliminations and put their bid of winning another title back on track.
“I always tell my boys that our defense will lead us to victory and it showed,” Red Lions’ head coach Boyet Fernandez said following an 88-73 win over rival Lyceum.
“It’s a total team effort, and I can only thank my players for all the sacrifice they did.”
In that game, Calvin Oftana and Donald Tankoua spearheaded the attack as they fired 20 and 19 points, respectively, while Clint Doliguez and Evan Nelle churned their 15 and 14 points to tighten the Red Lions’ grip on the leadership.
Fernandez said they would employ the same tactic against a very dangerous team like the Blazers.
“We’re facing Saint Benilde, which is very good team, so no rest for us. But we are looking forward for it,” said Fernandez, referring to the Blazers, who raced to five straight wins before suffering a 71-74 loss to the Pirates.