THE UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help Altas kept their unblemished record intact after they outclassed the San Sebastian Stags, 84-70, in the 91st NCAA men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Arena in San Juan City.
Davao-native Scottie Thompson, arguably the finest collegiate player in the land today, notched his second triple-double of the season with a dominant performance of 21 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists.
The reigning Most Valuable Player’s running mate, Nigerian Bright Akhuetie, was equally impressive with his 20 points and 23 rebounds to push the Altas to their fourth straight win.
But while the Altas are flying high, the five-time defending champions San Beda Red Lions suffered a double-whammy on Thursday as they lost to the Letran Knights, 80-93.
To make matters worse, they also lost national team member and lead guard Baser Amer for two to three months after the latter dislocated his shoulder in the second period.
Kevin Kent Racal led the resurgent Knights, who led by as many as 21 before weathering a comeback attempt by the Red Lions in the fourth, with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Mark Cruz had 16 points, seven boards and seven dimes.