FINAL Four teams San Beda University and University of Perpetual Help clash in what could be a peek of their semifinals matchup in the last elimination play date of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 seniors basketball tournament on Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The nonbearing match features the top-seed Red Lions (16-1 won-lost) against the No.4 squad Altas (11-6) at 2 p.m.
In the first game, San Sebastian and Arellano University try to end the season on a bright note as they break their 5-12 deadlock at 12 noon.
Concluding the elimination phase is the showdown between semifinalist Letran (13-4) and ousted College of Saint Benilde (9-8) at 4 p.m.
In its recent heavyweight battle against its rival and second-best team Lyceum (15-3), San Beda flexed it muscle to score a 75-88 win last week.
Robert Bolick and rookie revelation James Canlas carried the scoring load as they each fired 18 points to lead the defending champions to a momentum-building victory going to their Final Four campaign.
But first, they must hurdle the challenge of Perpetual Help, which is seeking to get as much confidence as possible before it plunges into a twice-to-beat disadvantage in the semifinals.
“We want to be consistent against Perpetual. After that, we’ll think about the future,” San Beda Head Coach Boyet Fernandez said.
The Altas are coming off a painful 80-82 loss to the Knights on October 12.
Rey Peralta and Edgar Charcos were at the forefront of Perpetual Help’s attack as they tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively, but Letran’s Bong Quinto was simply unstoppable with his game-high 22 points.