IN A HISTORIC feat, the San Beda Red Lions failed to close the gap against the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals, suffering a 55-68 drubbing in Round 1 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 seniors’ basketball tournament last September 17—marking the Generals’ first-ever win against the Red Lions in 27 games since joining the NCAA in 2009.
Yukien Andrada led the pride in scoring, being the Red Lions’ only double-digit scorer with 12 points but scoring an inefficient 5/13 from the field and 1/7 from beyond the arc. Jomel Puno and Oliver Tagle made their marks in the scoring column, contributing nine and seven points respectively.
An improved game from the free throw line aided the Red Lions, as they went 18-of-31 with a 58% clip. However, shooting woes plagued the Mendiola squad, going 16-of-60 from the field and just 5-of-26 from the three, resulting in a 19% clip.
The Red Lions kept the game close in the opening frame, keeping the score on a 9-7 advantage for the Generals before a timeout at the five-minute mark. However, they failed to contain an early three-point barrage from the sweet-shooting Generals, ending the first quarter with a seven-point deficit, 14-21.
While the Red Lions fell into a deeper slump, the Generals continued their momentum in the second quarter.
Scoreless in the last two minutes of the half, the Mendiola cagers were kept to a measly nine points for the quarter, as the Generals continued their hot streak in the second quarter with the biggest lead of the half at 23-36.
A similar situation told the story of the following frame, with the Red Lions being on the receiving end of a 9-0 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
Third quarter saw the biggest lead of the game at 29 points for the Generals, with the Red Lions failing to find the basket down 28 points, 35-63.
Despite committing crucial turnovers, the Red Lions sought to generate offense in the final quarter in three-points and free-throws. However, the Generals’ lead proved too large for the Lions to overcome, trailing by 13 in the final seconds of the game.
Failing to mount a late comeback, the Red Lions lost their 27-game streak against the Generals, 55-68. With this, the Mendiola cagers absorbed their second loss of the early season, dropping to 2-2 in the current standings for Round 1.
In a post-game interview with The Bedan, Head Coach Yuri Escueta expressed his sentiments on the team’s performance while acknowledging EAC’s preparedness for this matchup.
“We really got out-worked today and it’s something that shouldn’t…happen to us, especially dito sa NCAA. You can’t go to games thinking na you’d win games,” he stated.
Looking forward, Escueta affirmed that the team must come more prepared and exert more effort and energy by the next game. “We try to get what we can from this game from a win or from a loss then move on to the next game, especially sunod-sunod ‘yung game namin ngayon,” he added.
Facing a similar struggle as in the first round of Season 99, the Red Lions continue to gaze their claws for their next face-off against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers on Saturday, September 21, 2:30 p.m., at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Quarter Scores: 21-15, 36-23, 63-35, 68-55
San Beda 55 – Andrada 12, Puno 9, Tagle 7, Royo 5, Payosing 3, Estacio 3, Songcuya 3, Calimag (Richi) 3, Celzo 3, Sajonia 3, Calimag (Rc) 3, Gonzales 1
Emilio Aguinaldo 68 – Pagsanjan 14, Luciano 13, Gurtiza 9, Oftana 9, Doromal 6, Quinal 5, Ochavo 4, Bagay 4, Lucero 2, Loristo 2