AFTER A HARD-fought back-and-forth, the San Beda Red Lions were edged out in overtime by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers, 65-70, handing the Lions their first loss in Round 1 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 seniors’ basketball tournament on Tuesday, September 10, at the FilOil EcoOil Center.
Bryan Sajonia once again delivered for the Red Lions, finishing with 19 points, three assists, and two steals. Yukien Andrada and James Payosing also chipped in 13 and 10 points respectively.
However, the Red Lions struggled from the charity stripe, draining just 11 out of the 24 total free-throw attempts.
The Blazers opened the frame with an explosive 0-7 run, forcing a timeout from the Red Lions with eight minutes remaining on the clock. Fortunately, the Red Lions brushed off their early scoring drought, notching their first points on a putback layup and mid-range jumper from Payosing.
Despite early buckets from Nygel Gonzales and a deep three from Sajonia, the Mendiola squad failed to close in on the far-composed Blazers, ending the first quarter 11-19.
In the second quarter, the Red Lions eventually found their rhythm, tightening their defensive end to limit the Taft squad to just two points with seven minutes remaining. Sajonia then detonated for seven points, erasing Benilde’s lead and putting the Red Lions ahead for the first time.
The Red Lions capitalized on their momentum to obtain a six-point lead over the Blazers. Still, the Blazers fought back, sinking a lethal three in the final seconds to close the gap against the Lions, 33-32.
Things took a turn for the worse in the third as the Red Lions bore the brunt of a 9-0 run from the Blazers.
This would not be enough as the Red Lions were once again in the backseat despite heroics from Sajonia and Gonzales, ending the third quarter, 47-52.
Fortunately, the Red Lions slowly clawed back into the game, courtesy of Jomel Puno’s contested pull-up and Andrada’s shot from downtown.
In a nail-biting sequence, the Blazers sank a crucial three with 30 seconds left on the clock. However, Andrada came through, scoring two points from the post to put the Red Lions at a deadlock, 60-60, sending the game into extra time.
The Red Lions were off to a scoreless start in extra time as they failed to take advantage of the Blazers’ penalty situation, going 3-for-7 from the line.
The Blazers hammered the nail in the coffin to end the game, sinking two three-pointers to seal the emphatic victory over the exhausted Lions, 70-65. The defending champions were now at a 1-1 standing after this loss.
“We couldn’t really execute on our offense and ayun nga, andami naming missed free throws, and that really caused us the game,” Andrada pointed out in a post-game interview.
Reflecting on their narrow loss against Benilde, Coach Yuri Escueta praised the team’s resilience in reaching overtime, stating how they were “one stop away from the victory.”
However, he also acknowledged the points of improvements for the Red Lions in their execution of plays. “Ayaw ko namang umabot sa one stop away, we could have done better in terms of our execution.”
The Mendiola-based squad will look to return to the winning column in their matchup against the San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) Golden Stags on Saturday, September 14, 11:00 a.m. at the same venue.
Quarter Scores: 11-19, 33-32, 47-52, 60-60, 65-70
San Beda 65 – Sajonia 19, Andrada 13, Payosing 10, Puno 7, Gonzales 6, Calimag Rc 5, Celzo 3, Songcuya 2, Royo 0, Bonzalida 0, Tagle 0, Estacio 0, Jalbuena 0
Benilde 70 – Ancheta 14, Ynot 13, Liwag 12, Sangco 7, Cometa 6, Oli 5, Torres 4, Morales 4, Sanchez 3, Eusebio 2, Cajucom 0, Turco 0