Letran, San Beda secure top two NCAA seeds in Preseason Cup

Letran and San Beda locked up the top two seeds in the NCAA Group of the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup after closing out the elimination round with victories on Wednesday in San Juan.

The Knights overcame an 18-point deficit to edge Perpetual, 70-66, clinching the No. 1 seed and extending their winning streak to eight games heading into the playoffs.

Rookie Justin Cargo rose to the occasion as Titing Manalili struggled offensively, finishing with 15 points and five rebounds to lead Letran's comeback.

"Hindi ko naman siya kukunin ng walang purpose or hindi gagamitin. Talagang sinabi ko sa kanya kung ano nakita ko sa kanya, and fortunately, he trusted me with that," said head coach Allen Ricardo of Cargo.

Cargo will look to carry that momentum into Friday's quarterfinal matchup against University of Santo Tomas.

Another rookie, George Diamante, also made his presence felt with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Jimboy Estrada chipped in 10 markers.

Their contributions proved crucial as Manalili was limited to just four points in 18 minutes.

LA Casinillo paced Perpetual with 19 points as the Altas concluded their preseason campaign with a 3-6 record.

San Beda, meanwhile, wrapped up the No. 2 seed with a convincing 68-49 wire-to-wire victory over Mapua.

Zed Etulle led the Red Lions with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, while JC Bonzalida matched those scoring and rebounding numbers. Rookie Andrei Ugaddan added 11 points and seven rebounds.

"Coming off that tough loss against Letran, we wanted to get this win going to the quarterfinals and at least you get your rhythm back," said San Beda coach Yuri Escueta.

The Red Lions will face La Salle in the quarterfinals.

Jaymark Lloren was the lone Cardinal to score in double figures with 10 points as Mapua dropped into a three-way tie for second place at 7-2.

San Beda secured the higher seed through quotient following its 19-point victory, while idle Jose Rizal University finished third and Mapua settled for fourth.

The Cardinals will face UAAP Group top seed University of the Philippines in the quarterfinals, while the Heavy Bombers take on National University.

Elsewhere, Far Eastern University capped its preseason campaign with a 79-63 victory over winless Adamson.

Janrey Pasaol continued his strong form with 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, knocking down four three-pointers as the Tamaraws finished with a 3-3 record.

Matty Erolon scored 16 points, highlighted by three triples, for the Soaring Falcons, who ended the tournament winless at 0-5.

Lyceum of the Philippines University also ended on a winning note, defeating Emilio Aguinaldo College, 95-91.

Renz Villegas poured in 27 points, converting 13 of his 14 free-throw attempts, while Jerome Almario and Nat Fuentes added 11 points each as the Pirates closed their campaign at 3-6.

Harvae Raymundo led EAC with 18 points, while Jacob Shanoda contributed 16 points and nine rebounds in defeat.