San Beda University secured the top seed and a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Quarterfinals after rallying past Emilio Aguinaldo College, 96-82, on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
“Of course, the team’s first goal was to secure a twice-to-beat spot, either first or second. After that, the next step is to win the quarterfinals. One step at a time,” said third-year Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta.
The win improved San Beda’s record to 9-3, with one game remaining in the group phase — a rivalry showdown against the Letran Knights on November 23. However, that matchup will not affect San Beda’s top seeding, as Letran can only reach a maximum of eight wins.
Benilde currently sits second in Group B with an 8-4 record.
“You want to carry that confidence and momentum into the quarterfinals. You don’t want to be sloppy or coming off a defeat,” Escueta added, emphasizing the importance of momentum ahead of their rivalry game.
San Beda, however, had to stage a huge fourth-quarter surge to pull away from the Generals. Trailing by 14 points early and 69-73 entering the final frame, the Red Lions tightened their defense, limiting EAC to just nine points in the fourth on 3-of-14 shooting.
Offensively, the trio of Ajanti Miller, Bryan Sajonia, and Jimmy Reyes dominated, scoring all 27 of San Beda’s fourth-quarter points on a combined 10-of-15 shooting.
“I just told them we were worried about missing shots. What’s important is to focus on defense. I want them to get stops and transition back to defense to create easy scoring opportunities,” Escueta said.
Sajonia led the team with 26 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Miller added 17 points. Yukien Andrada also scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Jimmy Reyes and Joe Celzo contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Celzo also hauling in nine boards.
For EAC, the Generals now face the play-in stage to reach the quarterfinals, where they will meet JRU. Deo Lucero paced EAC with 14 points, followed by Kyle Ochavo and Joshua Tolentino with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Scores:
San Beda 96 – Sajonia 26, Miller 17, Andrada 17, Reyes 12, Celzo 12, Culdora 5, Gonzales 3, Etulle 3, Lina 2, Bonzalida 0, Calimag 0, Estacio 0, Jamora 0.
Emilio Aguinaldo 82 – Lucero 14, Ochavo 11, Tolentino 10, Bagay 9, Angeles 7, Oftana 6, Bacud 6, Castillo 6, Loristo 4, Quinal 3, Shanoda 2, Jacob 2, Postanes 2, Villarente 0, Dominguez 0.
Quarterscores: 33-23, 47-54, 69-73, 96-82.
