Yukien Andrada and James Payosing stepped up in the clutch, leading San Beda University to a hard-fought 76-69 overtime victory against Mapua University to secure second place at the end of the first round of the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Andrada’s heroics came with the Red Lions’ backs against the wall in overtime, drilling a crucial three-pointer and a fadeaway jumper in back-to-back possessions.
Andrada led the Red Lions with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and one assist
Meanwhile, Payosing, the reigning Finals MVP, contributed across the board with 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal, as the Red Lions ended the first round with a three-game winning streak and a 6-3 record.
Despite sharing the same win-loss tally with Mapua, San Beda claimed second place due to the “win over the other” rule.
“It’s just another opportunity for us to better yung standing namin and forget about what happened in the past, yung losses to EAC and AU. Hindi tayo pinapabayaan ng Diyos, lagi tayo binibigyan ng opportunity, and kailangan i-take advantage natin ‘yon,” said Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta.
Mapua’s Marc Cuenco gave the Cardinals a brief lead with a clutch triple, but San Beda team captain Andrada responded with ice in his veins.
With the Red Lions on the ropes in overtime, Andrada hit a crucial three-pointer and followed it up with a fadeaway jumper on back-to-back possessions, putting San Beda up 73-69 with just 1:13 left.
Before those key moments, Andrada had been 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
San Beda then relied on its defensive strength to fend off Mapua.
The Red Lions forced a heavily contested three-pointer from Lawrence Mangubat, which missed its mark.
Jomel Puno added one free throw, and Bryan Sajonia’s high-arcing floater sealed San Beda’s win in overtime.
“You have to give it to our boys for playing defense until the end, even during the overtime. Sabi ko nga ‘eh, we might be struggling offensively and losing games in the first round, but throughout the first round, the only thing that has been saving us was our defense,” Escueta added. 
Sajonia also contributed 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, and was instrumental in applying defensive pressure on Season 99 MVP Clint Escamis.
Escamis, held to 19 points on just 36.8% shooting (7-of-19 overall, 3-of-14 from three), still added five rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
For the Cardinals, Cuenco paced the team with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, along with five assists, four rebounds, and a steal.
Chris Hubilla struggled with just three points on 3-of-16 shooting but pulled down 11 rebounds and added an assist.
The Scores:
San Beda 76 – Andrada 18, Payosing 15, Sajonia 10, Estacio 9, Gonzales 6, Puno 6, Lina 5, Tagle 3, Celzo 2, Royo 2, Calimag 0
Mapua 69 – Cuenco 20, Escamis 19, Concepcion 9, Mangubat 6, Hubilla 6, Bancale 5, Igliane 2, Jabonete 2, Ryan 0, Fermin 0
Quarterscores: 19-16, 30-38, 53-53, 66-66, 76-69.
