FOUR players—three from Letran and one from San Beda—were each suspended for one game for their involvement in a melee that marred the Knights-Red Lions National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball game on Friday at the Filoil-Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
NCAA Management Committee Chairman Jose Mari Lacson of season host San Beda said the board upheld Commissioner Andy Jao’s recommendation for the suspension of Letran’s Jerrick Balanza, Chris de la Peña and Marvin Sario and San Beda’s Antonio Bonsubre.
A bench-clearing incident was triggered by an offensive foul called on Letran’s Bong Quinto for elbowing San Beda’s Jomari Presbitero with seven seconds left in the game, which the Red Lions won, 83-71.
Balanza joined the trouble by elbowing Presbitero in the face and was called for a flagrant foul, which was later upgraded to a disqualifying foul that meted an automatic one-game suspension under league rules.
“Balanza, during dead ball, hit Presbitero on the face. Sario and de la Peña entered the court. They did not do anything but, obviously, it didn’t look well and could exacerbate the situation and the tension,” Jao said.
Balanza, a starter, and seldom-used de la Peña and Sario will miss Letran’s game against winless College of Saint Benilde at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, while Bonsubre will sit out his team’s outing against Mapua on Thursday.
Jose Rizal University, meanwhile, aims to stretch its winning run to five and leap to fourth place as it clashes with Emilio Aguinaldo College at 2 p.m.
After opening the season with a 3-5 (win-loss) record, the Bombers went on a four-game streak capped by a 68-58 victory over the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates last Friday to jump into a share of No. 4 with the Cardinals with a 7-5 record apiece.
Like JRU, San Sebastian also tries to keep its streak going against Lyceum, in their noon showdown. The Stags won three straight over Perpetual Help, San Beda and Mapua after losing nine consecutive games to improve to 4-9 and keep their Final Four hopes alive.