By: Miguel Caramoan
Janti Miller and Jomel Puno led the balanced attack of San Beda University as the Red Lions extended their winning streak to three with a 76-53 victory over Arellano University in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Miller fired 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, including 13 in the second half, to help the Red Lions pull away from the Chiefs.
Puno added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Ismael Culdora provided a spark off the bench with nine markers.
“I just challenged them in practice and said na we can’t take any teams lightly, especially in the crossover bracket kasi it’s more important compared sa bracket [namin],” said San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta, explaining his team’s mindset heading into the match.
“So just not taking any team for granted, especially itong Arellano na team na ‘to, because this is a team that we lost twice in the summer.”
The game started tightly contested for the first nine minutes before the Red Lions broke away with a 7-0 run capped by a Joe Celzo basket to take a 22-13 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
San Beda extended its lead to 26-15 behind a Miller jumper, but Arellano countered with a 12-1 surge anchored by Basti Valencia, Anjord Cabotaje, Mav Vinoya, and Charles Libang. The Red Lions, however, regained control before halftime, highlighted by a Jimmy Reyes buzzer-beating triple that put them ahead 37-31.
From there, the Red Lions dominated the second half, outscoring the Chiefs 39-22 to seal the convincing win.
“Just staying consistent. It’s natural that some guys will have off nights, [so just] stay locked in even when you have a bad game. We’re very confident in each other as a team, and we know other players are always ready to step up,” Escueta said, praising his team’s collective effort.
With the victory, San Beda solidified its hold atop Group B with a 5-1 record. The Red Lions also turned in an impressive defensive performance, holding Arellano to just 14 points in the second half on a cold 27.8% shooting from the field.
“It’s just us taking better shots and just the effort to sprint back on defense. Whether you make a turnover, miss a shot, or make a basket – we need to sprint back,” Escueta added, emphasizing their defensive mindset.
San Beda looks to sustain its momentum when it faces the struggling San Sebastian Stags on Sunday, still at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped Arellano to third place with a 3-4 record. It is half a game behind Mapua in the tight race for the second seed in Group A at the midway point of the classification phase.
Aside from Ongotan’s 14 points, only Cabotaje finished in double figures for the Chiefs with 10 markers and five rebounds.
Arellano will try to bounce back when it faces the Letran Knights on Sunday, also at the San Juan venue.
The Scores:
San Beda 76 – Miller 20, Puno 10, Culdora 9, Etulle 8, Reyes 6, Vailoces 6, Celzo 4, Lina 4, Jalbuena 3, Gonzales 2, Calimag 2, Bonzalida 2, Estacio 0, Jamora 0
Arellano 53 – Ongotan 14, Cabotaje 10, Libang 7, Valencia 6, Vinoya 4, Anama 4, Abiera 4, Camay 2, Borromeo 2, Geronimo 0, Hernal 0, Demetria 0, Langit 0
Quarterscores: 22-13, 37-31, 54-41, 76-53
