NCAA: San Beda leans on experience, takes game one of the Finals 

 

The San Beda College Red Lions are just a win away from repeating their three-peat. 

 

The reigning champions flashed their Finals experience, beating host team Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, 62-60, Thursday at the SM MOA Arena, to take the first game of the 88th NCAA season's Finals series. 

 

Letran had a chance to tie or win the game with 30 seconds remaining as Ola Adeogun missed two freethrows at one end. But in the final play, Kevin Alas found himself trapped at the corner with Ryusei Koga and Jake Pascual sticking to him on defense, forcing the Knight to a turnover to secure the victory.

 

Reserve point guard Baser Amer was the steadying force for the Red Lions, willing an otherwise inconsistent squad to victory with crucial runs in the first and third quarters with 20 points, six rebounds and 3 assists.

 

[The game was] very, very, very close, and it was expected," said San Beda head coach Ronnie Magsanoc. "It was a different game than the first two rounds [because] they're a good team and they're very well-coached."

 

Amer himself was surprised to find out he scored 13 points in the third quarter. "Of course it wasn't just me," he said, giving praise to his teammates and coach.

 

Ryusei Koga scored nine points for the Red Lions, while Ola Adeogun and Jake Pascual scored eight apeice and combined for 16 rebounds and four blocks.

 

Scoring was sporadic in the first quarter, but the Knights came out ahead slightly better, as Alas and Mark Cruz drained early jumpers for Letran. San Beda, on the other hand, couldn't establish an offensive groove and was crippled by turnovers and offensive fouls. Despite the errors, Jake Pascual managed to connect twice from the field to keep pace, 4-4.

 

With under five minutes remaining, reserves Baser Amer and Ola Adeogun led a surge for the anemic Red Lions. The pair combined for 11 points in a 13-3 run for San Beda, both scoring easy points at the rim.

 

Kevin Alas broke a three and a half minute dry spell for the Knights as he converted on a putback play with a minute remaining. Adding a triple in a solo 5-1 run, he scored all but two of Letran's points as the first quarter with the Knights down just six, 18-12.

 

In the second quarter, Jake Pascual split from the line to briefly extend the lead to seven, but the Knights played scrappy defense, especially in the painted area, and stymied San Beda's offensive sets. 

 

Halfway through the period, the Knights finally scrapped together an 8-0 run. Capped by a pair of looping floaters by Alas, they retook the lead, 20-19, with under four minutes to play in the quarter.

 

The Red Lions quickly countered as Anjo Caram fired a floater of his own while Jake Pascual scored off an offensive board, but those would be San Beda's only field goals of the quarter. With two minutes to play, Kevin Alas scored three of their last five in another 5-1 finish to put the Knights ahead at halftime, 25-24.

 

When play resumed, San Beda still seemed unable to solve the Knights' defense. Meanwhile, Letran began to get more comfortable in their offensive sets. They showed more versatility on offense as four different Knights dropped 10 unanswered points, 35-27. 

 

Similar to the first period, Amer was reinserted at the halfway mark and immediately provided instant impact for the Red Lions, scoring nine points at the rim or from the line. Amer's outburst broke a four-minute dry spell from the field and started 10-4 run that drew San Beda within two, 39-37, with under three minutes to play.

 

A rash of calls in the final two minutes shifted the momentum to the Red Lions. Racal was whistled for a foul and slapped with another foul for showing resentment to the referees, while Knights mentor Louie Alas was awarded a technical foul for continuous complaining. San Beda made 4 of 6 from the line, followed by a layup by Ryusei Koga on the bonus possession to deliver six quick points in under 20 seconds. 

 

Koga converted a couple more baskets to close out the quarter, holding the Knights without a field goal in the last 3:34 to take a 47-41 lead into the payoff period.

 

In the final quarter, the Knights couldn't find a lasting groove to get them back in the game. San Beda, who led by four thanks to Art dela Cruz, were content to trade baskets, 53-47.

 

Letran appeared to break out of its slump as Cruz and Jonathan Belorio connected from beyond the arc, but San Beda quickly recovered as they continued to attack the rim. Adeogun led the charge in the paint, and set up the stage for the finishing sequence of the game.  

Facing a five-point deficit with a 45 seconds to play, Kevin Alas split at the line, but after an offensive rebound, Letran found Mark Cruz on the perimeter, who drilled in a jumper to cut the lead to a single possession, 62-60. After a timeout called by Coach Ronnie Magsanoc, San Beda went for a pick and roll between Amer and Adeogun, with the former getting a foul of the Knights' defense with 20 ticks remaining.

 

The Knights held the edge in rebounding, especially on the offensive glass, 49-42, leading to a 13-6 advantage on fastbreak points. However, San Beda's aggressiveness translated to a measly 15-of-28 showing at the free throw line, or 54 percent, compared to Letran's 7 of 10, or 70 percent.

 

Magsanoc said his team was fortunate enough to get key stops that allowed them to get the breaks they needed. He also complimented Amer and Ryusei Koga, who hit crucial shots in the second half.

 

Magsanoc said his team could've better contained Kevin Alas: "He probably just got tired in the second half. He played 39 minutes," said Magsanoc.

 

"We don't have the same powerhouse lineup we have before," Magsanoc added. "so we're really focused on getting stops so we can run [in transition]."

 

Kevin Alas led Letran with 18 points, four rebounds and five assists. Kevin Racal scored 14 points and gathered 10 boards, while Mark Cruz scored 11 points for Letran.

 

San Beda's victory over Letran snapped the latter's eight-game win streak. The Red Lions coincidentally, were also the last team to beat the Knights prior to their run, winning 68-62, last September 1. 

 

The Mendiola-based squad was the top-seeded team entering the Finals for the seventh straight year, finishing with a 15-3 card. The team is looking for another three straight titles, after accomplishing the feat from 2005-2007. They won back-to-back crowns in the past two seasons. 

 

Game two of this best-of-three series will be played on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum. - AMD/RAF, GMA News

 

The scores: 

 

SBC 62: Amer 20, Koga 9, Adeogun 8, J Pascual 8, Dela Cruz 6, Dela Rosa 4, Caram 3, K Pascual 2, Mendoza 2, Lim 0

 

CSJL 60: Kevin Alas 18, Racal 14, Cruz 11, Almazan 8, Belorio 7, Cortes 2, Lituania 0, Kristoffer Alas 0, Gabawan 0, Luib 0

 

 

Quarter scores: 18-12, 24-25, 47-39, 62-60