In a rematch of the past two NCAA Seniors Basketball Finals, the San Beda Red Lions proved that they are on another plane, outclassing the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates anew, 88-73, Tuesday evening at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
And for decorated head coach Boyet Fernandez, this win was a tribute to the hard work that the Red Lions put in.
“Unang-una, nagpapasalamat ako sa players ko for all the sacrifices that they had for the past few days prep for LPU,” Fernandez shared.
“For the last three days, we’re practicing for an hour ’cause we really want to prepare really well for LPU. Kung ‘di sila nag-sakripisyo, ‘di namin magagawa ang dapat naming gawin,” he added.
Behind a balanced attack led by JP Bahio’s surprising eight-point first quarter, the Red Lions started the game on fire. They even led by as much as 18 points in the first half.
But San Beda’s arch-rivals rallied despite seeing Reymar Caduyac go down with an injury in the second frame.
“They were down by eight, and they came back and even led by one,” recalled Fernandez. “But our defense and three-point shooting led us through this game.”
A Jayson David triple gave Lyceum their only lead of the game at 51-50. From there, the Red Lions hit the gas, going on a 23-6 surge to start the final frame for a lead as high as 22 points.
Calvin Oftana tallied a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with 12 boards. Donald Tankoua added 19 points and six rebounds.
Evan Nelle gluied things together for San Beda, tallying 14 points and seven assists.
“This game is for them, and hopefully, we’ll not stop here. It’s only a game; we have so many games to go,” said Fernandez, as San Beda picked up their 21st straight win.
Lyceum were led by Mike Nzeusseu’s 18-point, nine-rebound outing. Jaycee Marcelino added 13 markers but shot just 4-of-11 from the field and committed seven turnovers.
The Pirates fell to 6-2.
San Beda’s grind continues on Friday when they face the CSB Blazers. On the other hand, Lyceum take on the Arellano Chiefs on the same day.
The Scores:
SBU 88 – Oftana 20, Tankoua 19, Doliguez 15, Nelle 14, Canlas 9, Bahio 8, Abuda 3, Etrata 0, Soberano 0, Cuntapay 0, Alfaro 0, Carino
LPU 73 – Nzeusseu 18, Marcelino JC 13, David 10, Marcelino JV 8, Santos 6, Ibanez 5, Navarro 4, Pretta 3, Caduyac 2, Tansingco 2, Valdez 2, Guinto 0
Quarterscores: 29-17, 44-36, 61-58, 88-73
