LETRANscored its ninth straight victory, an 84-77 rout of Emilio Aguinaldo College on Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
King Caralipio dropped 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, to go with his 11 rebounds as the Knights officially clinched the first Final Four ticket with a 12-3 win-loss record.
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Caralipio nailed the last five points for the defending champions to fend off the game challenge from the cellar-dwelling Generals.
Kurt Reyson shot 3-of-7 from deep for his 14 points, five assists, and four boards as Letran used a strong 24-point fourth quarter to extend its win streak.
Fran Yu had 10 points, five assists, five steals, and three rebounds, and Louie Sangalang added 10 points, four boards, two dimes, and two blocks.
It was another tough defeat for also-ran EAC, which gave Letran a scare and even held a 63-60 lead heading into the payoff period.
Nat Cosejo paced the Generals with 21 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Joshua Tolentino got 17 points and four boards.
JC Luciano nabbed 16 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists as this season's hosts fell to 2-14 after losing the fifth of their last six games.
The scores:
Letran 84 - Caralipio 16, Reyson 14, Sangalang 10, Yu 10, Paraiso 8, Tolentino 7, Javillonar 5, Santos 4, Ariar 3, Olivario 3, Go 2, Monje 2, Guarino 0.
EAC 77 - Cosejo 21, Tolentino 17, Luciano 16, Dominguez 10, An. Doria 4, Quinal 4, Ad. Doria 3, Balowa 2, Angeles 0.
Quarterscores: 25-17; 38-41; 60-63; 84-77.
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