Team Standings
San Sebastian        5-0
Jose Rizal              5-0
San Beda              5-1
Letran                    3-3
Arellano U              2-3
St. Benilde            2-3*
EAC                      1-4
AUF                      1-4
Mapua                  1-4
Perpetual Help        1-4*
*playing at press time

Three-peat champion San Beda drew strength from American Sudan Daniel as it turned back fierce rival Letran in a 79-74 win marred by debris-pelting and bench-clearing incidents in the 85th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City. The 6’7” Daniel dished out his league-high 18 points that included a pair of electrifying slam dunks and spiked it with seven rebounds and four blocks as the Lions sealed their fourth win in row and fifth overall in six games to remain at solo third place. “He did well but I though he could have done better,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim of his high-leaping center. It was the sixth win in row by the Lions over the Knights since the former lost to the latter, 69-70, on July 5 two seasons ago.

In juniors’ action, Letran leaned on superb efforts by Jarelan Tampus and Glenn Khobuntin as it tamed San Beda, 99-84, to seize the solo
lead with an immaculate 6-0 (win-loss) slate. Tampus had 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Khobuntin contributed 23 points and 18 caroms as the Squires remained the only unbeaten squad. The Cubs, who were led by Baser Amer’s 19 points, fell to their first defeat  gainst five triumphs. And then emotions ran high after the game. Bam Bam Gamalinda drilled a booming triple with less than a minute to go to give his team a five-point cushion and Borgie Hermida sealed the deal by canning a pair of foul shots. After the Knights missed their final  attempt, Daniel plucked the rebound at the buzzer that officially sealed it but his feet got entangled with a Letran foe and tried to extricate himself out of it that triggered the shoving and shouting match. Fans of both teams got into it as they threw debris—from plastic mineral later bottes, soda cans and even mono-block chairs—onto the court and to one another.

After players were asked to leave the court for the usual post game school hymn singing and go straight to their locker rooms, some fighting incidents broke in some parts of the venue before security personnel stabilized the situation. “Its sad to see them fighting after the game,”  aid Lim, who reported none of his players were hurt in the post game melee. Letran mentor Louie Alas was seen pacifying the crowd after his wife Liza and two-year-old son Kieffer were caught in the debris-throwing incident at the back of the Knights bench.
“I was just there to help stop the commotion and to help my wife and son who were there,” said Alas.