By: Miguel Caramoan
San Beda University is back in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament finals, fueled by the triumphant return of Janti Miller and a scorching shooting display from Yukien Andrada. The Red Lions edged College of Saint Benilde, 84-81, on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum to secure their finals berth.
Andrada was unstoppable, pouring in a season-high 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, along with four rebounds.
Miller complemented him with 26 points and six boards, giving the Red Lions their second game this series with two 20-point scorers, replicating the feat from Game 1 with Bryan Sajonia and Miller.
“They showed heart, started out flat and medyo may jitters at medyo stiff. Pero there’s this one guy na ayaw magpatalo — si Yuki,” said Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta.
San Beda now sets up a finals showdown with the Letran Knights, who swept the Perpetual Altas in the other semifinal pairing. Game 1 will tip off on December 10, also at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s going to be tough. We have to prepare well, we have to lock in, and the same character that we were able to show today — kailangan lumabas siya sa finals series namin,” Escueta added.
The game was a back-and-forth affair from the start.
Miller scored 12 of the Red Lions’ 21 first-quarter points, but Tony Ynot and Raffy Celis combined for 16 to give the Blazers a 26-21 lead after 10 minutes.
Josh Cajucom then took over in the second quarter, scoring all of his 10 points, while Ian Torres’ buzzer-beating triple sent CSB into halftime with a 45-34 advantage.
San Beda roared back in the third, led by Andrada’s nine points, to narrow the deficit to 56-58 at the 3:21 mark.
The Blazers countered with consecutive triples from Torres and Ynot, before Miller hit a three-pointer to make it 64-59 entering the fourth.
Andrada continued his onslaught in the final frame, hitting 11 more points, including a triple with 6:33 left to tie the game at 72.
Miller then propelled San Beda to its first lead since the opening period with a converted three-point play, 75-72.
Bryan Sajonia’s three-pointer extended the lead to a two-possession game, but Torres kept CSB in it with a deep triple to make it 78-75 with 4:13 remaining.
Andrada’s seventh three of the night gave the Red Lions an 81-77 cushion at 3:23, and despite Allen Liwag scoring inside and converting free throws, CSB couldn’t close the gap.
San Beda sealed it with free throws from Miller and Andrada.
“Hats off to the players for showing character today. I really challenged them na this is a game of character for us — what we are made of and what we have inside of us,” Escueta said.
After dropping a nail-biting Game 2, 75-77, to the Blazers — marking their lone loss to CSB this season — San Beda bounced back emphatically. The Red Lions had previously dominated the Blazers in three encounters, including a 91-72 rout in Game 1.
For CSB, it was a heartbreaking loss after leading by 11 and controlling much of the game.
Ynot led the Blazers with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Celis and Torres added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Scores:
San Beda 84 – Andrada 27, Miller 26, Sajonia 10, Gonzales 7, Puno 6, Celzo 4, Lina 4, Reyes 0, Songcuya 0, Etulle 0, Estacio 0
Saint Benilde 81 – Ynot 18, Celis 14, Torres 12, Liwag 10, Cajucom 10, Ancheta 7, Umali 6, Sanchez 4, Gaspay 0, Cometa 0, Morales 0
Quarterscores: 21-26, 34-45, 59-64, 84-81
