THE National Collegiate Athletic Association has slapped an indefinite ban on hot-headed Jose Rizal University player John Amores – the powder keg of the league’s worst on-court violence in eight years.

Amores committed numerous offenses, including bumping and pointing a finger at a referee Dennis Escaros, disrespecting his school’s Management Committee representative Paul Supan and court officials, charging towards the bench of College of Saint Benilde that escalated Tuesday’s brawl, making provocative gestures that led to a fight and throwing punches against Mark Sangco, Jimboy Pasturan, Taine Davis and Migs Oczon.

JRU later in the afternoon issued a statement, saying that the school is indefinitely suspending Amores. He is also not allowed to attend the Bombers’ practices for the remainder of the season.

The league also cracked the whip on Sangco and Chris Flores of the Blazers, who were given two-game suspensions for engaging in a fistfight with Amores.

William Sy and Ryan Arenal, on the other hand, were handed out two-game bans for committing disrespectful acts before ManCom representatives were pacifying participants. The two were identified as seen on the video dancing on the sidelines during the on-court deliberation yesterday.

Sy was also suspended for a game for leaving the bench during the on-court melee along with JRU’s Jason Tan, Joshua Guiab Jason Celis, Marwin Dionisio, John Mark Abauag, Jonathan Medina, Karl De Jesus and CJ Gonzales.

Benilde’s Ladis Lepalam was also banned for one game for entering the playing court.

A total of 14 players – 11 from JRU and three from Benilde – were sanctioned – the most since the infamous Emilio Aguinaldo College-Mapua brawl in 2014, where the league slapped suspensions to a total of 17 players involved.

Currently holds a 6-7 record in fifth place and their Final Four hopes hanging in the balance, the Bombers only have at least six players available in the next game. JRU will play San Sebastian at 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Play stopped at the 3:22 mark after Amores, after briefly pacified at the Bombers bench, suddenly charged on the Blazers side in one of the fabled collegiate league’s dark episodes.

After Oczon scored a triple for a 71-51 Benilde advantage, Amores and Chris Flores went down on the floor and the referees blew the whistle to prevent further chaos.

As he was being cooled down, Amores was pointing at someone at the Blazers side and hell broke loose.

The game was eventually called, and the Blazers were awarded the victory.

Meanwhile, Lyceum of the Philippines University nipped San Beda, 81-80, to move up to third place with a 10-5 record and close in on second-running Benilde (10-3).

The Red Lions fell to fourth spot at 9-5, two-and-a-half games ahead of the Bombers in the race for the last Final Four berth.

Mapua continued its steep climb to make it back to the Final Four, as the last season’s losing finalists coasted to a 67-47 win over a Arellano University still missing its star big man Cade Flores.

The Cardinals tied their victims at 6-9 and have a 5-1 record in the second round.

The scores:

First game

Mapua (67) — Garcia 13, Nocum 10, Mercado 10, Hernandez 8, Cuenco 8, Pido 5, Agustin 5, Bonifacio 3, Soriano 2, Salenga 2, Lacap 1, Igliane 0.
Arellano (47) — Menina 10, Doromal 10, Abastillas 8, Tolentino 6, Sunga 4, Mallari 3, Oftana 3, Mantua 2, Talampas 1, Oliva 0.
Quarterscores: 16-8, 36-21, 52-28, 67-47

Second game

LPU (81) — Larupay 15, Navarro 10, Bravo 10, Guadaña 9, Umali 9, Valdez 8, Barba 6, Montaño 6, Villegas 4, Peñafiel 4, Cunanan 0.
San Beda (80) — Bahio 15, Cometa 14, Ynot 13, Andrada 11, Kwekuteye 10, Cuntapay 8, Penuela 5, Sanchez 4, Alfaro 0, Visser 0, Cortez 0, Payosing 0, Llarena 0.
Quarterscores: 13-20, 41-45, 57-62, 81-80.