NCAA S87: CSJL vs SBC

History Lesson:
Down by 11 at the start of the fourth quarter, Letran couldn't get going at the start of the final period, surrendering four straight scores by the Red Lions, putting them in jeopardy. Making matters worse was the fact that their big men, Jam Cortes and Jonathan Belorio, fouled out in the process of those four scores. The sole remaining Knights big man, Raymond Almazan, was able to make it 12 after hitting two charities, 58-49, but by then, the offense of Letran had been exhausted, and San Beda was able to kill time, resulting in the 77-62 win. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 14-3, Letran wants to end their elimination round stint with a victory. Doing so would send the 14-2 San Beda Red Lions to their third loss, and open the door for the Knights to climb up to the second seed should the defending champs fall once more to San Sebastian. On the other hand, should San Beda win, they effectively lock up the twice to beat advantage in the Final Four and could go up to #1 depending on the margin of victory (quotient rule)

CSJL Stat to Watch : Despite being the team known for getting to the line most frequently with an average of 31.65 attempts per game, it was the Red Lions who were more aggressive in round one, taking 26 free throws to just 18 by the Knights. Given their lack of depth up-front, Cortes and Belorio ought to be the guys taking it to the rim, and not the other way around, lest they get a repeat and find themselves on the bench with five fouls.
CSJL Player to Watch : San Beda saw Raymond Alamazan as a non-threat to score and the big guy proved them wrong, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He also got to the line a team-best 14 times, making eight charities. More importantly, he also finished with 0 fouls.

SBC Stat to Watch : Since their loss to JRU, San Beda has worked on honing their pressure defense. In the last four games, they've upped their average in turnover points from 17.1 to 20.5 despite dropping from 20 forced turnovers a game to 16.5. It's bound to be a chippy game if these two sides decide to press each other to death.
SBC Player to Watch : San Beda's extra possessions guy Jake Pascual scored just four points, but hauled down six offensive rebounds and blocked four shots in 25 minutes. His hustle will really help this team, and his defense will be called upon to hold Cortes down.

Prediction: CSJL Knights