NCAA: Letran romps past Arellano to clinch top seed in Group B

MANILA — Letran cruised to a 91-77 win over Arellano on Thursday to claim the top seed in Group B of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament.

The comfortable win put the Knights’ record at 8-3, assuring them of a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs.

Jimboy Estrada paced Letran with 25 points, while Justin Cargo had 15 and Chad Gammad added 12 in the win. The trio of Kevin Santos, Aaron Buensalida and Denzil Walker all chipped in 10 markers a piece.

Letran used a blistering start to send Arellano skidding to its third straight loss for a 5-6 record.

After leading by as much as 23 points, however, the Knights saw their lead fizzle down to 10 midway in the fourth quarter, 78-68.

Fortunately for Letran, Cargo converted a close-range bucket with under seven minutes left that sparked a 13-0 run, restoring their control of the contest.

“Sabi ko lang naman sa kanila, unahin muna natin ‘yong depensa natin at everything will be easy for us,” said Letran coach Allen Ricardo of their performance.

“Our mentality ngayon is, turn defense into offense. Pinaghahandaan talaga namin ng mabuti. Nagbubuild kami ng habits na madadala namin sa playoffs,” he added.

Renzo Abiera turned in 20 points in the Chiefs’ sixth loss of the season. King Vinoya and Ernest Geronimo finished with 12 and 11 markers, respectively.

LETRAN 91 – Estrada 25, Cargo 15, Gammad 12, Santos 10, Sison-Walker 10, Buensalida 10, Reyes 6, Valdeavilla 2, Diamante 1, Montecillo 0, Hugo 0, Muyuela 0, Villanueva 0.

ARELLANO 77 – Abiera 20, Vinoya 12, Geronimo 11, Ongotan 9, Valencia 6, Hernal 6, Buenaventura 5, Cabotaje 4, Camay 4, Flores 0, Borromeo 0, Anama 0, Langit 0, Manansala 0.

Quarters: 25-19, 58-35, 70-56, 91-77.