The San Beda College (SBC) Red Lions successfully shrugged off the pesky Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras in a close affair, 71-66, to post their third straight win in the 2015 FilOil-Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
Mark Tallo waxed hot from downtown in the opening minutes of the first quarter, nailing three triples to help propel SWU to a commanding 15-4 lead with less than five minutes into the game. A Pierre Tankoua layup halted SWU’s run, 15-6, but the Cobras, with Boko Mupungo’s inside scoring, went on another 8-0 run to lead further, 23-6, thirteen seconds before the two-minute mark. SBC scored seven straight points to end the quarter trailing, 23-11.
The Red Lions trimmed the deficit to just four, 23-19, behind Javee Mocon and Ola Adeogun to open the second frame. SWU, meanwhile, enhanced the lead to seven, 30-23, with Mupungo and Melvin Holper providing baskets with less than three minutes left. But the Cobras lost their rhythm, allowing SBC to run away with a 13-2 scoring spree led by Baser Amer to end the first half in their favor, 35-32.
Both teams kept it close in the third canto, with SBC taking care of the lead, 44-39, with 5:27 remaining. SWU regained the lead by scoring eight straight points behind Mupungo, Tallo, and Jasper Parker to go up by three, 47-44, approaching the two-minute mark. SBC had the last laugh, however, outscoring SWU 8-4 behind lay-ups from Mychole Sorela, Ranbill Tongco, and Amer to end the quarter on top, 52-51.
Holper, Tallo, and Mupungo chipped in baskets in the fourth and final quarter to snatch the lead once again, 57-56, with less than seven minutes left. Tankoua and Art Dela Cruz scored six straight points inside the paint to leave SWU behind, 62-57, 3:32 remaining. The Cobras closed within two, 65-63, but the Red Lions caught fire to further the lead, 69-63, with less than 40 ticks left. Holper sank a trey to make it a one-possession ballgame, but Amer’s freebies with 7.5 seconds left shut down SWU’s hopes of coming back.
Amer was adjudged as the game’s best player, leading SBC to a 5-1 record with 14 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Tankoua played his best with a double-double, having 12 points and grabbing down 12 boards. Tallo led SWU, now dropping to 1-4, and all scorers with 25 markers.
Both SBC and SWU will play on Wednesday, June 3, with the former facing the MIT Cardinals at 5 PM, while the latter will have UST Growling Tigers as their next opponent at 1:30 PM.
The Scores:
SBC 71 – Amer 14, Tankoua 12, Koga 9, Sorela 8, Dela Cruz 6, Tongco 6, Adeogun 6, Mendoza 5, Mocon 4, Sara 1, Reyes 0, Sedillo 0
SWU 66 – Tallo 25, Mupungo 15, Holper 12, Goloran 8, Parker 3, Bregondo 2, Racho 1, Auditor 0, Acuno 0, Pardo 0, Luz 0
| TEAMS | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH |
| SBC (B, 5-1) | 11 | 35 | 52 | 71 |
| SWU (B, 1-4) | 23 | 32 | 51 | 66 |
