By: Bjorn Del Deade
San Beda cruised past Emilio Aguinaldo College, 89-59, to strengthen its Final Four bid in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Wednesday.
It was a vengeful win for the Red Lions, who had lost to the Generals for the first time in school history on September 17, 68-55.
“Our motivation is to really improve our standings coming into the playoffs. So, hindi naman, not really to avenge our loss. Right now is to get that final four seed. ‘Yon ‘yong focus namin ngayon,” said San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta.
“We still believe that we can improve our standings sa Final Four,” he added.
The defending champions improved to a 10-5 win-loss record while sending EAC into a three-way tie with Letran and Lyceum – all of which are battling for the last spot in the semis with identical 7-8 records
San Beda dominated with a 48-29 first half and capitalized on a struggling EAC offense in the third quarter, running away with the win.
“Ang sabi ko lang sa kanila noong halftime, let’s just focus on what we did in the first half and keep doing it. Wala na kaming iibahin. And yun nga, nag-focus sila,” Escueta shared.
The game was still within reach for the Generals after Wilmar Oftana sank a triple to cut San Beda’s lead to seven at the end of the first quarter, 24-17.
However, the Red Lions took control in the second quarter. Despite the Generals trimming their deficit to 10 with five minutes remaining in the period, 33-23, San Beda responded with a 15-6 run.
They capped things off with three baskets from Bismarck Lina to extend their lead to 48-29 at halftime.
San Beda never looked back in the second half, outscoring the Generals 18-6 in the third quarter to build a commanding 31-point advantage, 66-35.
The margin proved insurmountable for EAC in the final period, as the Red Lions reached their biggest lead of 33 points in the waning seconds, 89-56.
San Beda shot an impressive 40.6-percent from beyond the arc and dominated the boards 47-34. The Red Lions’ bench also put on a masterclass, outscoring EAC’s 60-37.
Emman Tagle led San Beda with 20 points, including five three-pointers, while Lina contributed 18 points and four rebounds. Yukien Andrada provided solid support with 14 points and five rebounds.
The Red Lions will next face archrivals Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 12:00 PM.
Meanwhile, King Gurtiza and Harvey Pagsanjan each had 10 points in the losing effort as the Generals remain in the hunt for a Final Four spot.
The Generals will face the Arellano University Chiefs on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 2:30 PM.
The Scores:
San Beda 89 – Tagle 20, Lina 18, Andrada 14, Royo 9, Puno 9, Songcuya 6, Tagala 5, Gonzales 3, Payosing 3, RC Calimag 2, Estacio 0, Bonzalida 0, Celzo 0, Richi Calimag 0
Emilio Aguinaldo 59 – Gurtiza 10, Pagsanjan 10, Doromal 6, Bacud 6, Quinal 5, Loristo 5, Oftana 5, Ednilag 4, Ochavo 2, Jacob 2, Postanes 2, Lucero 2, Luciano 0, Bagay 0, Umpad 0
Quarterscores: 24-17, 48-29, 66-35, 89-59
