Bucking one of the toughest slates of games this season, San Beda University is peaking at the right time as the Final Four race heats up in NCAA Season 99.
One of the catalysts for the resurgent Red Lions has been Yukien Andrada.
The third-year cager scored 20.0 points with an impressive 53.35% shooting clip from three-point range, while also grabbing 3.0 rebounds in two games from November 14 to 19.
This performance helped the Mendiola crew cruise to back-to-back wins, entering the Final Four picture.
With Andrada fueling the Red Lions, he was hailed as the Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week, presented by major sponsor San Miguel Corporation and backed by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and Jockey.
Andrada, a product of the San Beda juniors program, edged out Lyceum’s Enoch Valdez and Perpetual’s Jielo Razon for the weekly honors, deliberated by the print and online coverage of the beat.
Reeling from back-to-back losses to Perpetual and Mapua, San Beda rose and bounced back with two consecutive wins against heavyweight foes, College of St. Benilde and Jose Rizal U.
The six-foot-five forward started his impressive week with a 22-point performance against the Blazers on November 15, presiding over their pivotal 65-61 victory. He then followed it up with 18 points, three rebounds, and two steals in a 74-69 escape act against the Heavy Bombers.
With two elimination round games left and two semifinal spots still up for grabs, Andrada claimed that he and his teammates are determined to finish strong and barge their way into another Final Four appearance.
“We talked about it for the past week, ever since we lost to Mapua. Sinasabi talaga namin na we still have control sa fate namin papunta sa Final Four. So, ‘yun nga, we’ll just focus on our game, one-by-one, and we will never give up,” he said.
The 22-year-old is also relieved to help out San Beda now that he is back at full strength after a nagging left hamstring strain back in Round 1.
“Sabi nga sa akin ni Coach Yuri, yung ibang players sa ibang teams nagstep-up na eh, nagpe-peak na rin. So sinabihan na rin ako na, especially coming off an injury, na I have to step up na yung laro ko at hindi lang puro si Jacob [Cortez] o yung ibang teammates ko,” he added.
“I think it’s the right time for me, and everything is peaking for me right now.”
