By Kevin Estrada
San Beda showed their championship poise as they secured a narrow 66-64 victory over archrivals Letran in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the FilOil-EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
In front of a full house, the Red Lions got their title defense back on track with a morale-boosting win. This victory climbed to a share of fourth place with Perpetual and ended the Knights’ three-game win streak.
Letran has now slipped to third place in the standings with a 5-3 record.
“Isipin niyo yung opportunity pag nanalo,” said San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta. “Big win for us. The boys really grind it out, talagang gusto nilang manalo.”
The return of their legendary band made the victory even sweeter, much to the delight of their supporters who came from Mendiola in droves for the game.
“The [San Beda] Band is back, andyan na yung tambol namin saka tama na yung tono,” Escueta added. “Malaking pasalamat ko lagi dun sa banda na yan.”
Sophomore forward Jomel Puno delivered a standout performance for San Beda, achieving a double-double with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. His skills were fully displayed in a highly anticipated matchup against Letran’s Kevin Santos.
The Knight’s third-year bruiser scored 18 points and 9 rebounds, including a short jumper that extended the Muralla-based squad’s lead to 10, 51-41, midway through the third period.
However, the defending champions responded with an 8-0 run to end the quarter, 49-51. The Red Lions then opened the fourth with nine more unanswered points, taking a 58-51 advantage with over five minutes remaining.
Letran then stormed back with a 13-5 run of their own to take the lead. Guard John Sherick Estrada scored six of his 16 points in the payoff period, including a crucial floater that put the Knights ahead 64-63 with 50.8 seconds remaining.
But San Beda had the final word in the latest chapter of this storied rivalry as guard John Bryan Sajonia scored seven of his eight points in the final quarter, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 42.6 seconds remaining.
The scores:
SAN BEDA 66 – Puno 22, Celzo 8, Sajonia 8, Songcuya 8, Andrada 8, Payosing 6, Tagle 3, Estacio 3, Gonzales 0, Calimag 0, Tagala 0, Royo 0
LETRAN 64 – Santos 18, Estrada 16, Cuajao 12, Nunag 7, Montecillo 5, Miller 4, Monje 2, Jumao-As 0, Go 0, Dimaano 0, Baliling 0
Quarter scores: 20-16, 30-32, 49-51, 66-64
Images courtesy of NCAA Media Bureau
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