Letran, Mapua eye quick route to finals
Games Today
(Filoil Flying V Centre)
12 noon — Letran vs Perpetual
3 p.m. — Mapua vs San Beda
Twice-to-beat Letran and Mapua hope to make quick work of their respective foes and avoid falling into a do-or-die scenario in the NCAA Season 97 Final Four today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Both aiming to book a spot in the Finals, the top-seed Knights take on the red-hot Perpetual
Help Altas at 12 noon while the second place Cardinals aim to assert mastery over the San Beda Red Lions in the 3 p.m. showdown.
Although heavily favored, Letran, which swept the eliminations, should be wary of the dangerous Perpetual side which survived three grueling door-die matches to take the semis seat.
The Altas took down EAC Generals to secure a play-in spot before beating the Arellano University Chiefs and upsetting the College of St. Benilde Blazers to book a dance with the defending champions.
“It’s a privilege to play against them kasi no. 1 team in the league. Walang talo kumbaga it’s gonna be a good experience and opportunity for my players, for me, so i-savor namin yun ieenjoy namin yun and hopefully makatsamba kami on Sunday,” said Altas coach Myk Saguiguit.
All eyes will be on the Knights star Rhenz Abando who dropped a then career-high 24 points which went with five rebounds, four assists and three steals in their 68-57 demolition of the Altas in the eliminations.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals who beat the Red Lions to the second seed by virtue of their 6857 triumph in the elims, look to deal another heartbreaker to the last season’s runners-up.
San Beda’s loss to Mapua proved to be costly as it missed out on the twiceto-beat edge for the first time since 2005. A loss today for the Red Lions could also mean that they will be missing the Finals for the first time in the last 14 editions of the NCAA centerpiece.
Also a cause of concern for the Red Lions is the health of top gun James Kwekuteye who failed to finish their 63-57 victory over the Blazers in the play-in due to an ankle injury.
They will be facing off against the well-rested Cardinals led by Paolo Hernandez and Warren Bonifacio.