 |
| Letran stays alive in the Final Four race. NCAA |
MANILA—With his team's NCAA season on the line, Jimboy Estrada delivered the baskets that mattered for Letran.
The prized transfer student scored two clutch shots to lead the Knights to a 75-71 win against arch-rivals San Beda Red Lions in front of a sold-out crowd at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Sunday.
With Letran down 70-71 with 45.4 seconds left, Estrada hit the go-ahead basket to put his team up, 72-71, with 40.6 seconds to go.
Bismarck Lina turned the ball over in the next play, setting up another Estrada jumper that upped the Knights' lead to three, 74-71, with 19.5 seconds remaining.
The Red Lions had a chance to force overtime, but James Payosing's corner three was way off, and Nat Montecillo iced the game for the Knights with a split with 1.9 seconds to go.
Estrada led Letran, which moved up to 8-9, a half-game behind Lyceum and Emilio Aguinaldo College for fourth place, with 24 points, five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block.
Deo Cuajao added 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block for the Knights, who must need to beat the Arellano Chiefs on Wednesday and hope that both the Pirates and the Generals drop their last games to get a chance to steal the fourth seed through a play-in game.
Lyceum and EAC will face off on Tuesday with the winner gaining a vital advantage in the race for the last Final Four spot.
Payosing led San Beda, which fell to 10-6, with 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
With the Red Lions' loss, the College of St. Benilde Blazers and Mapua Cardinals sealed the two twice-to-beat advantages in the Final Four, while the Red Lions fell to the third seed.
The scores:
LETRAN 75 – Estrada 24, Monje 15, Cuajao 11, Montecillo 10, Javillonar 8, Jumao-As 3, Nunag 2, Santos 2, Miller 0, Dimaano 0
SAN BEDA 71 – Payosing 16, Puno 15, Lina 10, Andrada 8, Tagle 8, Gonzales 5, Calimag 4, Estacio 3, Songcuya 2, Royo 0, Celzo 0, Sajonia 0
Quarterscores: 22-23, 40-38, 57-57, 75-71
.jpg)
