Red Lions bid for elims sweep

San Beda banked on a sizzling endgame rally to eke out a heart-stopping 73-66 win over Arellano last week.

After flirting with disaster in its previous game, reigning champion San Beda College seeks to come up with a convincing win when it battles Jose Rizal University (JRU) in Season 95 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Game time is at 2 p.m. with the Red Lions focused on sweeping the double-round eliminations to gain a free ride back to the Final Four.

Meanwhile, after suffering a 74-89 loss to Lyceum of the Philippines University, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta hopes to bounce back when it tangles with Arellano University in the 4 p.m. encounter of the oldest collegiate league in the country.

Gunning for its fourth consecutive crown, the Red Lions kicked off its campaign on the right track as it raced to 10 straight victories, proving that they still have what it takes to become the most dominant team of this generation.

In its previous game, San Beda had to bank on a sizzling endgame rally to eke out a heart-stopping 73-66 win over Arellano last week.

Hotshot Kent Salado provided the fireworks, carrying the fight for the Chiefs before the Red Lions dropped a 13-0 bomb to restore order and keep their winning run that stretches all the way to last season intact.

San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez said they need this kind of game once in a while.

“That game was a wakeup call for us,” said Fernandez, whose wards crushed the Heavy Bombers, 74-52, in their first-round game.

“I hope we absorbed all the lessons it gave us and apply those in our next match against JRU.”

But prevailing over the Heavy Bombers will not be a walk in the park.

JRU is marching to warzone oozing with momentum following a 69-63 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College that snapped its three-game losing streak.

The Heavy Bombers are now fashioning a 4-7 win-loss mark and a massive win over unbeaten Red Lions would definitely spark a major rally.

“We are looking forward to competing against JRU because they are playing well,” said Fernandez, who will be banking on the solid crew of Donald Tankoua, Calvin Oftana, Evan Nelle, Clint Doliguez and AC Soberano.