The San Beda College (SBC) Red Lions went back to their winning ways from last week’s defeat against Centro Escolar University Scorpions after thrashing the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 96-71, in the 2015 FilOil-Flying V Premier Cup Friday afternoon at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
Both teams were feeling out each other’s schemes in the opening frame, but from a slim 7-4 advantage, the Red Lions pulled to an eight-point lead, 13-5, with 6:38 left. UP was able to close within striking distance with less than five minutes on the clock, 16-11, after a Diego Dario jumper. That served as UP’s last chance to trim the deficit, as SBC sprinted to a 7-3 run to own the first quarter, 23-14.
The Mendiola-based cagers began to post huge leads just in the following quarter, using a 12-2 splurge to pull away and claim their biggest lead of the first half, 35-16, after an Olaide Adeogun basket stab midway into the frame. But from that moment, it was UP’s turn to score in streaks, outscoring SBC 15-7 to trail by only just eleven, 42-31, on the way to halftime.
UP trimmed San Beda’s lead to nine, 46-35, after a Cris Vito jumper with 7:06 in the third chapter. They tried to chip the deficit further, but SBC, with Olaide Adeogun proving his mastery of the shaded lane, regained their footing to post another huge lead, 60-39, with 3:18 left in the quarter. The Diliman-based squad, meanwhile, did not let SBC’s lead to overwhelm them, storming to a 13-4 scoring spree to close by twelve, 64-52.
SBC, from a nine-point, 64-55 lead over UP with 9:33 in the final canto, shifted their gears to full speed to pull away with the game’s widest gap, 87-64, after a Javee Mocon triple with 4:25 left. From then on, it was all SBC basketball, as their fluid offense was enough to keep UP at bay. The Red Lions drubbed UP in the fourth quarter, 32-19, to get away with the 25-point win.
“We were able to play forty minutes of defense,” stated SBC Head Coach Jamike Jarin, in today’s blowout win. “We had lapses, but we were able to come back strong,” added Jarin.
Adeogun topscored for the Red Lions, who now hold a 4-1 record, with 20 points and nine rebounds. The lefty Art Dela Cruz shot 8 of 12 (67 per cent) to go with 16 markers, while guard Baser Amer chipped in 10. Diego Dario and Paul Desiderio led UP, dropping to 1-5, with 14 points apiece.
SBC will play Southwestern University Cobras next Saturday, May 30, at 3:15 PM. UP, on the other hand, will also face the Cobras next Wednesday, May 27, at 1:30 PM.
The Scores:
SBC 96 – Adeogun 20, Dela Cruz 16, Amer 10, Tankoua 9, Sorela 9, Cabanag 7, Reyes 6, Mocon 5, Mendoza 4, Abude 3, Tongco 2, Carlos 2, Alas 2, Sedillo 1.
UP 71 – Dario 14, Desiderio 14, Vito 11, Asilum 6, Gallarza 6, Harris 6, Amar 4, Juruena 4, Longa 3, Webb 2, Tekoudjou 1.
