Unbeaten powerhouses De La Salle University and College of St. Benilde will look to keep their perfect records intact as they face separate opponents in the crossover semifinals of the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup Season 3, set for Thursday, April 24, at the Enderun Colleges Gym in Taguig City.
The Green Archers take on Emilio Aguinaldo College at 12 noon, while the Blazers battle New Era University in the second game at 2 p.m.
Both Taft-based squads swept their respective groups with identical 5-0 records in the preliminaries. However, they reached the semifinals through different paths.
Games Thursday – Enderun Colleges Gym, Taguig City
12:00 PM: EAC vs La Salle
2:00 PM: New Era vs St. Benilde
La Salle, the top seed in the Prime Division, leaned on the dynamic backcourt duo of Jacob Cortez and Kean Baclaan to cruise past St. Dominic College of Asia, 86-73, in the quarterfinals. Cortez delivered a stellar all-around performance with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Baclaan tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Additional firepower came from Ethan (18 points), Bright Nwankwo (14 points, 12 rebounds), and Luis Pablo (15 points).
St. Benilde, the No. 1 team in the Edge Division, advanced to the semifinals by default after Enderun Colleges withdrew from the tournament due to injuries within their roster.
Interestingly, both La Salle and St. Benilde were runners-up in their respective collegiate leagues last year—DLSU in the UAAP and CSB in the NCAA—and are now hungry for a championship finish in the Pinoyliga tournament.
Standing in their way are two formidable semifinal opponents.
New Era University earned its spot with an impressive 69-62 upset of defending NCAA champion Mapua in the quarterfinals, showcasing its grit and composure in the clutch.
Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo College survived a scare against Guang Ming College. After dropping the first game 86-84, the Generals bounced back emphatically with a dominant 90-70 win to book their semifinal ticket. Marvin Raymundo led the charge with 23 points, while Ruzzelle Dominguez added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
With a finals berth on the line, expect an intense battle as these four squads clash in the semis.