A fiery offensive performance from Jacob Cortez helped San Beda University past Jose Rizal University after a hotly contested 74-70 battle in the NCAA Seniors Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Red Lions were without the services of their head coach, Yuri Escueta, who was serving a suspension after being ejected from their match against Lyceum of the Philippines University. Andre Santos took his place at the helm for the match.
Red Lions assistant coach Andre Santos was emotional after the game, having grabbed a win without Escueta on the sidelines for the past week.
“Siguro emotional ako kasi it’s been a tough week. Siyempre we’re in unfamiliar territory not having coach Yuri around. Bihira kami magpractice without him, tapos to have a full week without him, to play a tough JRU team preparing without him, then being in this game without him, the emotions will really rise,” said Santos.
Cortez had 24 points, five rebounds, two assists, four steals, and six triples to lead the way for the Red Lions.
The Red Lions trailed for most of the match, going down by as much as 11 points in the first quarter as JRU’s guards picked apart the hard hedges of the Red Lions’ big men in the pick-and-roll.
San Beda only rallied back in the fourth quarter as they took the lead, 64-63, after a three-pointer from Peter Alfaro with 5:18 left in the game. JRU was not about to go down without a fight though, as the two squads went back and forth with the lead.
Facing a one-point deficit, Cortez drove to the cup for a layup and took the lead from JRU one final time, 71-70, with 42 seconds left. The Red Lions held onto the advantage for the remainder of the game and came away with the win.
“I’m just really grateful we came out with that win because we needed that win so bad. Whether Coach Yuri was here or not, we just had to find a win. The boys, I’m just thankful nagrespond sila sa akin well and sobrang grateful na we came out with the win,” said Santos.
Peter Alfaro was the only other player who scored in double digits with 12 points and three triples of his own.
Jomel Puno had a near double-double with nine points and 12 crucial rebounds, one of which was off his own free throw, helping seal the game in San Beda’s favor.
The Red Lions shot past the Heavy Bombers in the standings as they went up to 4-2 for the season, tied with Emilio Aguinaldo College at third and fourth.
They will meet University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Tuesday at 2:00 PM.
Five players scored in double digits for the Heavy Bombers, but their all-around effort was not enough to get the win. Shawn Argente led the team in scoring with 14 points, 10 of which came in the second half.
Marwin Dionisio added 13 points of his own.
JL Delos Santos had another good performance across the board with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Joshua Guiab followed suit with a 10-point-10-rebound double-double.
Agem Miranda had 11 points, but the Heavy Bombers’ leading scorer was held scoreless in the second half by the San Beda defense.
The Heavy Bombers dropped to a 4-3 record for the season. They have a battle against the current number one team, Lyceum Pirates, next on their schedule, also on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
The Scores:
SBU 74 – Cortez 24, Alfaro 12, Puno 9, Andrada 9, Payosing 8, Cuntapay 7, Visser 4, Gonzales 1, Jopia 0, Llanera 0, Tagle 0, Gallego 0
JRU 70 – Argente 14, Dionisio 13, Santos 12, Miranda 11, Guiab 10, Pabico 6, Mosqueda 2, Sarmiento 2, Medina 0, De Leon 0, Ramos 0, Sy 0, Arenal 0
Quarterscores: 15-23, 34-38, 51-54, 74-70
