New ST Marketing put premium on defense in the fourth quarter to come away with a 83-72 win over Probac Sunday night and complete the semifinal cast of the 6th Tan Kek Pin Memorial Cup Basketball Tournament in Bacolod City.

Peewee Demonteverde spearheaded the victory with 18 points, 15 of which came in the opening quarter, but it was Mark Binguan who made the shot that mattered most, nailing an off-balanced trey with a minute left to put the game out of reach.

Kirk Tupas and Eric Uy tried to get Probac back into the game in the final period, partnering for 14 points. New ST, however, had too many weapons, although it needed to turn up its defense up a notch to clinch its place in the semifinals with BBC, Magnolia Nutrioil and Talisay Basketball Athletic Club.

Also crucial to New ST's win was Immuvit Player of the Game Mark Sabusap, who dominated the boards in the final period, where he scored four points, all on putbacks.

Binguan, who, like Sabusap finished with 11 points, jumpstarted the fourth period with a triple, and Demonteverde and Dominic Ciocon padded the lead with a couple of well-executed pick-and-roll plays for easy baskets.

After a Te Espejo gave New ST its biggest lead at 80-66, Probac trimmed the gap, 80-72, before Binguan hit the trey that iced the contest.

Held scoreless in a four-minute stretch in the second period, Probac made a game out of it in the third as Ziggy Rubiato and Tupas launched an 11-2 run to cut New ST's lead, 54-50.

But Binguan and Tubby Villanueva doused cold water to the uprising, before Bobby Agsam and Rubiato cut the lead anew, 61-55.

Dominic Ciocon finished with 14 points, while Villanueva added 7. Tupas paced Probac with 14, while Popoy Jamero and Carlo Diaz contributed 9 apiece. Uy, the hero in Probac's 89-87 overtime triumph over New ST Friday night that forced a do-or-die duel, was limited to 6 points. *CPT

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