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| The Arellano fans joined the Chiefs in celebration. Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASAY—Arellano booked the first seat in the NCAA men's basketball finals after tripping Mapua, 92-80, in the second semifinal at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday night.
Jio Jalalon and Lervin Flores bounced back from their sluggish performance in their first seed playoff against the San Beda Red Lions with impressive outings as the Chiefs avenged their wildcard playoff defeat to the Cardinals last year and made their second championship series stint in three years.
Arellano quickly blew the game wide open and never looked back.
Jalalon had a near triple-double with 22 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds with three steals, while Flores had a double-double of 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds with one assist and three blocks.
Allwell Oraeme tallied 20 markers, 24 boards, two assists, four blocks, and one steal for Mapua.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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