Unstoppable Daniel powers San Beda into Final Four

Perpetual Help still has not found the kryptonite that could stop San Beda's "Superman", Sudan Daniel, or discovered a cure to stop its long losing spell.

Daniel, dubbed as the "Superman" for his high-flying feats, terrorized the Altas on both ends of the floor to power the unbeaten Red Lions to a masterful 92-61 rout of the Altas and clinch the first Final Four seat in the 86th NCAA men's basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City. The US-based Daniel swatted 12 shot attempts made by the Altas with seven coming in the first half when the Mendiola-based squad turned a tight contest into another demolition job. On top of that, the 6-foot-7 big man also scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in another 20-minute performance off-the-bench for another triple-double effort. "He's been doing very well," said coach Frankie Lim on his prized recruit from Los Angeles, California. "He's doing better than last year but that's understandable because he was a rookie then." It was Daniel's second triple-double this season. He recorded his first also at the Altas' expense when he made 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 101-77 rout on July 28. "There's no personal battle against Perpetual it's just that I just want to protect my house that is the paint," said Daniel. With the win, San Beda climbed up to a perfect 11-0 slate, therefore clinching their fifth consecutive semifinals appearance and sixth in the last seven seasons. San Beda, after failing to clinch a semis berth for five straight seasons, returned to the Final Four in 2004 behind Arjun Cordero and Jerome Paterno. The Red Lions ironically lost to a Perpetual team led by Noy Javier and Khiel Misa. San Beda missed the semis in 2005 but made it back in 2006 – the same year when it won the first of three straight titles – behind Nigerian Sam Ekwe and current pros Ogie Menor, Yousif Al-Jamal and Pong Escobal. "We're looking forward to our last five games," Lim said. "One game at a time." Rome Dela Rosa, son of ex-pro Romy Dela Rosa, topscored with 20 points to go with his five rebounds and three assists while Borgie Hermida, picked in the second round by Barako Bull in last Sunday's PBA Rookie Draft, added eight points on top of eight rebounds and six assists. The Lions even trailed 5-2 early in the match, grabbed a number of slim leads before finally pulling away. Arnold Danganan, back from a one-game suspension, was the Altas' lone double-digit scorer with 16 points while Harold Arboleda came away with six points and 11 rebounds. The Las Piñas-based squad remained winless after 10 games. – JVP, GMANews.TV