Kuala Lumpur’s Jalen Robinson (Photo courtesty of AsiaBasket)
MANILA – The two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams in the AsiaBasket International Championship will take on Malaysian squads in the semifinals at MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Harimau Malaysia took down Sanzar Pharmaceuticals, 81-54, on Saturday night, to set a date with San Beda-Machateam.
The Malaysian squad quickly blew out Sanzar, beginning with a 25-10 first quarter.
Harimau Malaysia upped its lead to as much as 29 points late in the contest before settling for the 27-point win.
Wong Yi Hou and Kuek Tian Yuan each scored 17 points to lead Harimau Malaysia, which finished second in Group A with a 3-1 record.
The showdown between San Beda-Machateam and Harimau Malaysia is scheduled at 5 p.m.
San Beda-Machateam booked its place in the Final 4 and wound up the top seed in Group B with a 110-80 rout of The Th3rd Floor-KalosPH-Cooly on Friday night
None of the Sanzar players reached double figures in points with Juvel Gican the top scorer with nine points.
Shaq Alanes, who has been Sanzar’s main offensive arsenal, was held to five points on 1-for-11 shooting as the team finished at 1-3.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Aseel set a semifinal date with the College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers with an 88-72 win against The Th3rd Floor.
KL seemed to be on track at downing The Th3rd Floor after mounting a 23-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Th3rd Floor, however, slowly crawled back and eventually took a 53-45 lead midway through the third period.
KL reclaimed control after ending the third on a 17-5 run to take a 62-58 lead.
The Th3rd Floor tied the game one last time, 66-all, with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.
KL then responded with a 12-2 run to take the lead for good, 78-68, with 4:13 remaining.
Jalen Robinson made 26 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal for KL, which forced a three-way tie with San Beda-Machateam and MBC Kirin for the top spot in Group B at 3-1.
Following the tallying of quotients, the Red Lions and the Aseel grabbed the top two spots.
Wee Yong Gan added 20 points, one rebound, seven assists, and two steals, while Louie Sangalang had 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and three steals for KL, which will face CSB at 7 p.m.
CSB ripped Harimau Malaysia, 80-66, on Friday night to sweep Group A play.
Gerald Anderson fired 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals, while Genmar Bragais added 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and four steals for The Th3rd Floor, which finished its stint winless. (PNA)
