Defending champions San Beda University returned to form, dispatching Lyceum of the Philippines University, 83-74, to claim their first win in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The victory lifted the season hosts to third in Group A with a 1-1 record, while the Pirates dropped to fourth at 1-2.
“It’s nice to get our first win. I think we played much better, especially in the first quarter. We shot really well. That was big for us,” said head coach Yuri Escueta.
The game also marked Lyceum head coach Jamike Jarin’s first meeting with his former team since he steered the Red Lions to the NCAA championship during Season 92. Jarin guided San Beda to the title in 2016, completing the Red Lions’ return to the top of the NCAA under his leadership before eventually moving on to coach the Pirates.
San Beda came out guns blazing, jumping to an 11-2 start and continuing to fire from beyond the arc. It built its biggest lead of the first half at 33-18 before the end of the opening quarter.
Lyceum managed to trim the deficit to four, but the backcourt duo of Jimmy Reyes and Dan Marcelo helped sustain San Beda’s advantage heading into halftime, 45-38.
The Red Lions continued their scoring surge in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 17, 63-46, with less than two minutes remaining in the period.
The Pirates’ woes deepened when Renz Villegas was ejected after being called for a disqualifying foul with 9:02 left in the fourth quarter. The Lyceum point guard was caught in an awkward position and kicked RC Calimag in the arm while both players were fighting for possession.
Firmly in control, San Beda weathered Lyceum’s late comeback attempt and cruised through the final canto to secure its first victory of the season.
“It feels good to be on a winning track. Just coming into this game, I think we had more of an edge knowing that opening didn’t go how we wanted it to. So just responding on the court and how we responded in practice too, I think it’s a good win for us,” said Marcelo, who led all scorers with 16 points to go with six rebounds.
Lawrence Hawkins posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Reyes contributed 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds for the Red Lions.
Making his season debut after recovering from injury, Jomel Puno added 11 points on 75-percent shooting.
For Lyceum, Matthew Rubico paced the Pirates with 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Mclaude Guadaña chipped in 14 points and six rebounds.
Despite his ejection, Villegas still finished with 12 points in 20 minutes of action.
The game was delayed for around 20 minutes due to a leak on the court, the same issue that caused the postponement of San Beda’s earlier game against José Rizal University.
San Beda will play its rescheduled game against JRU on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3:00 PM. Meanwhile, Lyceum will face the Heavy Bombers on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 5:00 PM.
The Scores:
San Beda 83 – Marcelo 16, Reyes 15, Hawkins 13, Puno 11, Calimag 9, Torculas 8, Etulle 6, Bonzalida 3, Estacio 0, Jamora 0, Sarigumba 0, Songcuya 0.
Lyceum 74 – Rubico 15, Guadaña 14, Villegas 12, Almario 6, Daileg 5, Aurigue 5, Aviles 4, Nocum 4, Manuel 3, Gordon 2, Cardinas 2, Penafiel 2, Caduyac 0, Matienzo 0.
Quarterscores: 33-18, 45-38, 65-56, 83-74.
