AFTER TWO STRAIGHT losses, the San Beda Red Lions returned to form just in time to defeat the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers, 80-76, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 101 seniors’ basketball tournament at the FilOil Centre on November 7.
The Red Lions prevented a late meltdown after Benilde erased an 18-point deficit by the fourth, with Bryan Sajonia’s crucial threes enough to squeeze out the win.
Team captain Yukien Andrada and Sajonia alternated beyond the arc, leading the Lions with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Agjanti Miller followed with 11 markers and 10 boards.
Despite trailing by nine in the opening frame, San Beda capitalized on Benilde’s penalty situation, sinking multiple charities to close the gap to 17-21 in the first quarter.
The Red Lions quickly gained momentum after igniting an 11-2 run in the last three minutes of the second quarter, allowing them to take a comfortable 43-35 lead after the first half.
Onslaught continued as Andrada and Sajonia sizzled with a barrage of threes to pull away and give San Beda their biggest lead of the game, 70-52.
Benilde answered back in the fourth, mounting a late run to cut the lead into single digits, 74-73. Sajonia buried a crucial three-pointer to stop the skid, but Winston Ynot answered with a basket of his own with 27.6 seconds left.
San Beda seized control in crunch time as Miller sank two free throws off Benilde’s penalty situation to seal the 80-76 win.
With the win, San Beda improved to 7-3, reclaiming the top spot in Group B after a surprise loss against the Lyceum of the Philippines (LPU) University had previously tied them with second-seed Benilde prior to their matchup.
The Mendiola-based squad look to continue their winning ways and exact revenge against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14, at the same venue.
Quarter Scores: 17-21, 43-35, 68-52, 80-76
San Beda 80—Andrada 23, Sajonia 22, Miller 11, Estacio 7, Etulle 5, Gonzales 4, Reyes 4, Lina 4
Benilde 76—Ynot 21, Umali 16, Cajucom 9, Celis 8, Sanchez 6, Torres 5, Ancheta 4, Gaspay 3, Cometa 2, Morales 2