San Beda drew another strong game from Fil-Canadian rookie Jomel Puno as they overpowered San Sebastian, 76-53, on Friday to remain in the second spot in NCAA Season 99 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Puno bore fruit again after a 12-point, 17-rebound effort in a 62-60 win overUniversity of Perpetual Altas on Tuesday, dropping 16 points and 11 boards in this one to help stretch the Lions’ winning streak to three while keeping them well-entrenched at No. 2 with a 6-2 record.
They’re now just a game behind the Lyceum of the Philippines U Pirates, who remained unshakeable at the helm with a 7-1 slate. Puno stood out among the rest.
“He was adjusting to the physicality at first,” said San Beda coach Yuri Escueta of Puno, who was recruited after PBA’s Jayson Castro convinced his dad, whom he played with in friendly pick-up games in Pampanga, to play for the Benedictine school.
“We were lucky to have him,” added Escueta.
San Beda was missing Peter Alfaro, who was precautionarily held out due to a possible concussion caused by a bad fall in their last game against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
After a few rough shooting nights, Yukien Andrada found his form again against Baste, scoring 16 points off four triples and grabbing eight rebounds.
All 16 of Andrada’s points came in the second half, where they overwhelmed the Stags. Jacob Cortez also had 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a game-high three blocks.
On the defensive end, San Beda held Baste to only eight points in the quarter while Andrada caught fire and outscored the entire Stags squad with 11 points from his three triples to enter the final frame up 48-40.
The Red Lions kept the Stags in their paws as their advantage only grew in the final quarter, scoring 28 points to Baste’s 13, turning the game into a blowout. San Beda’s bench showed their squad’s depth as they prevented Baste from mounting a comeback and secured the victory.
Escueta also praised his bench’s performance in the matchup, commending them for being ready to perform whenever their name is called to the scorer’s table.
“Players in practice, you can really see how hard they work, my confidence and the coaches’ confidence never wavered. It’s just that they have to be ready. If you’re called to play, you should be ready. If not, stay positive. That’s what’s great about my bench players. They are always ready, and even when not used, they maintain a positive attitude. They carry that positivity when they play. Basketball players understand that,” shared Escueta.
Cliff Jopiia also produced nine points and 11 rebounds.
The Red Lions improved to 6-2 for the season, securing second place in the standings. They are scheduled to battle Emilio Aguinaldo College on Sunday at 12:20 p.m.
The Stags, who fell to 3-6, had only two players in double-digits, with Reggz Gabat almost achieving a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Alex Desoyo had 10 points in his 14 minutes of play.
Rafael Are struggled against the San Beda defense, scoring only six points with an inconsistent 20-percent shooting from the field. Are made an impact across the statsheet, though, with three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
The Stags fell to a 3-6 record for the season, finishing the first round in eighth place in the standings.
The Scores:
San Beda 76– Andrada 16, Puno 16, Cortez 10, Jopia 9, Payosing 6, Tagle, Gallego 4, Gonzales 4, Visser 3, Royo 2, Llanera 0, Tagala 0, Lopez 0, Cuntapay 0, Torres 0
San Sebastian 53- Re. Gabat 11, Desoyo 10, Are 6, Felebrico 6, Calahat 5, Sumoda 4, Una 4, Castor 3, Ra. Gabat 2, Escobido 2, Aguilar 0, Shanoda 0
Quarterscores: 14-17, 31-32, 48-40, 76-53
