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SJ Moore, left, is one of the key players for College of St. Benilde in the semifinals of the Pinoyliga Next Man cUP Season 3 set Thursday, April 17, at the Enderun Colleges Gym in Taguig City.
Pinoyliga
Games Thursday (Enderun Colleges Gym, Taguig City)
12 p.m. - EAC vs La Salle
2 p.m. - New Era vs St. Benilde
MANILA, Philippine — De La Salle University and College of St. Benilde, two unbeaten teams since the preliminary round, will be tested when they battle different opponents in the crossover semifinals of the Pinoyliga Next Man cUP Season 3 on Thursday, April 17, at the Enderun Colleges Gym in Taguig City.
La Salle clashes against Emilio Aguinaldo College in the first game at 12 p.m., while St. Benilde collides with New Era University 2 p.m.
After an identical 5-0 records to top their respective groups in the initial stage of the tournament, the two Taft-based sister schools — DLSU and CSB — entered the semifinal round via different routes.
As the No. 1 team in the Prime division, the twice-to-beat Green Archers got solid performances from their backcourt pair of Jacob Cortez and Kean Baclaan to easily disposed St. Dominic College of Asia 86-73 last Saturday.
Cortez recorded 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, while Baclaan finished with double-double 17 points and 10 assists. La Salle also got contributions from Ethan, who had 18 points, foreign student athlete Bright Nwankwo collected 14 points and 12 boards, and Luis Pablo added 15 points.
St. Benilde, on the other hand, had a more easy path towards the semifinals as the top seed in the Edge division earned a spot via forfeiture when Enderun Colleges opted to withdraw due to injuries to some of its players.
The two teams, which interestingly finished second overall last year after they fell short of winning the title in their respective leagues — DLSU in the UAAP and CSB in the NCAA — will face tough challenge in the crossover semifinals.
New Era booked a spot in the semifinals as it eliminated defending NCAA champion M??ua with a thrilling 69-62 victory in the quarterfinals.
For its part, Emilio Aguinaldo College made good use of its twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals.
After losing in the first game to Guang Ming Calleges 86-84, the Generals came back with a masterful 90-70 win to enter the semis. Marvin Raymundo led EAC with 23 points, while Ruzzelle Dominguez had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
