By: Miguel Caramoan
With their outside shooting firing on all cylinders, San Beda University punched its ticket to the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball semifinals by defeating Lyceum of the Philippines University, 91-67, on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The win was a resounding bounce-back for the Red Lions after their 78-66 shock loss in the crossover round.
San Beda now prepares for its 19th straight Final Four appearance — 12th under team manager Jude Roque — where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the Mapua Cardinals and the Benilde Blazers on December 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Well, both teams are really good. Whoever wins, we have to be prepared. The coaches will do their job also, as I said. Either of those two, whoever wins between them, we’ll be prepared for them,” head coach Yuri Escueta said.
Andrada once again showcased his shooting prowess, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from rainbow country. Janti Miller added 18 points and six rebounds, while Bismark Lina recorded a solid double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Bryan Sajonia contributed 13 markers.
“Hats off to the guys for locking in defensively and in rebounding. Si Yuki and Janti is a given, but I’d like to commend in today’s game si Joe Celzo and si Bismark Lina for having 13 rebounds each. That rebounding was really big today because we were up by 27 in rebounding,”Escueta said.
“Every time you play LPU, you want to have more possessions against them, and rebounding always gives us that extra possession. Si Yuki and Janti will always be a given, but how Joe and how Bis stepped up today was big for us.”
For the Red Lions, Bryan Sajonia’s quick six first-quarter points helped San Beda take a 17-10 lead after the period.
Back-to-back triples from Janti Miller and another from Zedjay Etulle allowed San Beda to stretch the gap to 29-15 at the 7:46 mark of the second quarter. Lyceum, however, responded with an 11-1 run capped by a Genesis Aviles basket, trimming the deficit to 30-26.
By halftime, three Red Lions were already in double figures — Andrada with 11, while Lina and Miller added 10 each — helping San Beda maintain a 51-40 advantage.
The Red Lions extended their lead to 20 points at 69-46 with a converted three-point play by Miller and held on to a 73-51 lead after three quarters. Overall, San Beda drained 13 triples on a 41.9% clip, a decisive factor in the game.
“I think I am really happy with the way we played defensively, as coach Yuri said. I think the preparation we had for the past two days, the players were really locked in, the coaches did their job, and the players did their job, and that’s all we want naman ‘eh. I hope that translates into the Final Four stage and coming into the next step,” Escueta said.
On the other hand, the Pirates will miss the Final Four for the first time in four seasons, ending a three-year streak under head coach Gilbert Malabanan.
Graduating Ato Barba led Lyceum in scoring with 13 points. Other notable seniors who played their final NCAA game included Gyle Montano, Joshua Moralejo, JM Versoza, Dave Paulo, Jovan Abregana, and Jethro Reyes.
The Scores:
San Beda 91 – Andrada 20, Miller 18, Lina 15, Sajonia 13, Gonzales 4, Celzo 4, Reyes 4, Calimag 4, Etulle 3, Songcuya 3, Jamora 3, Culdora 0, Jalbuena 0, Estacio 0, Bonzalida 0
Lyceum 67 – Barba 13, Villegas 11, Versoza 8, Moralejo 8, Daileg 7, Montano 5, Penafiel 5, Aviles 4, Paulo 3, Abregana 3, Matienzo 0, Pallingayan 0, Aurigue 0, Casino 0, Gordon 0
Quarterscores: 17-10, 51-40, 73-51, 91-67
