FilOil: San Beda survives late UST rally to claim third place

(Updated 4:32pm) The reigning NCAA champs San Beda College Red Lions bagged a third-place finish in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup, besting the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in a 74-70 thriller, on Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

San Beda improved on last year's fourth place finish, after losing to 75-56 against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the consolation match. Meanwhile, UST has yet to land in the top three of the tournament.

The Red Lions trailed for most of the second quarter before unleashing a 14-0 run in the third to lead, 46-38. Hot three-point shooting from Jeric Teng however brought the Tigers back in to the game, to trail by just a point, 53-52 at the onset of the fourth.

The Red Lions put on a clinic in the final period as their defense fueled an 11-0 run, padding a 64-57 margin with three minutes to play. But Karim Abdul and Jeric Teng conspired to keep it close with timely charities and a huge triple from the latter, 68-64, with two and a half minutes to play.

Kyle Pascual then made two freebies off a loose ball foul for San Beda. Abdul was similarly fouled but missed both, only UST clung on to the possession for an Ed Daquioag trey, 70-67, at the 1:40 mark. Both teams went on to exchange misses and turnovers until 15 seconds remained on the clock, when Abdul gave up a foul to Art Dela Cruz. The forward made both, forcing the Tigers to call for time.

Clark Bautista curled off a screen to bury yet another triple from the top of the key, 72-70, with 12.4 seconds on the clock. San Beda called for time to inbound the ball, and the officials called a foul on Aljon Mariano as he went out to meet Dela Cruz, who again made two from the line.

With 10.9 seconds left UST raced up-court for a corner triple by Teng, but his attempt rimmed out. San Beda secured the rebound and dribbled out the clock to ensure their place on the podium.

Baser Amer tallied 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Red Lions, while Rome Dela Rosa added 13 points. Kyle Pascual and Ola Adeogun notched 12 points each, while the latter also gathered 10 rebounds. Art Dela Cruz also had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

"I just told the boys that facing UST is a very tough match. We just had to be ready," said Red Lions head coach Boyet Fernandez. "Alam mo naman yung UST babalik at babalik yan, credit their coach and their never say die attitude. But still we came up with the win."

"It was close but coach just told us to make stops on defense," said Dela Rosa after the game. The forward also thanked his teammates for stepping up late in the game.

Dela Cruz also said making his free throws were tough, but he was thankful that he got them to go. "Para maganda yung start namin sa NCAA," he said. "Medyo nahirapan kami kanina, but we got the win."


The Red Lions got off to a good start, as Kyle Pascual opened the game with a pair of midrange jumpers to lead, 8-3, against a Tigers five that struggled to finish inside.

UST then subbed in Kevin Ferrer and Clark Bautista, joining Karim Abdul, Aljon Mariano and Jeric Teng on the floor. But it was Abdul's activity around the basket that got the Tigers back in the game, 13-10, as he went toe-to-toe against Ola Adeogun with under three minutes to play.

San Beda's role players looked to finish the quarter strong for their team as Francis Abarcar stripped Paolo Pe for a transition lay-up, and JP Mendoza managed a put-back with six seconds left to put them ahead by four, but a three-fourths of the court heave by Mariano beat the quarter buzzer, for a 17-16 score, after the first period.

It was the Red Lions' turn to fumble shots inside at the start of the second quarter, as they had only one field goal for most of the first five minutes. Meanwhile the Tigers got San Beda in foul trouble early and found gaps inside, as Teng drove for two to overtake their opponents, 24-21.

An and-one by Rome Dela Rosa lifted the Red Lions for a brief 7-2 run, capped by a Baser Amer floater to take control anew, 28-26. UST held their own defensively, even as coach Pido Jarencio gave his bench players extended minutes in the period. Teng carried his team by scoring 10 of their next 11 points, 35-28, on a variety of moves around the basket with less than two minutes remaining. But they couldn't completely shake off San Beda, who ended the quarter behind by just three, 35-32, on a transition drive by Ryusei Koga.

San Beda shot 13-of-37 from the field (35 percent) in the first half while UST made 11-of-33 (33 percent) field goals, led by Teng's 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting. The Red Lions also led 10-4 in offensive rebounds (19-16 overall) for an 8-0 lead in second-chance points.

After conceding a UST triple to start the third, Amer led the Red Lions' comeback with six points in a 14-0 rally, capped by a Dela Rosa fast break, to seize a 46-38 lead. UST called for time halfway through the quarter, and Teng countered with consecutive three-pointers, but he was matched each time by Kyle Pascual from mid-range. Teng then buried a tightly contested jumper to draw within four, 50-46, with two and a half minutes remaining.

Lo took up scoring duties down the stretch, scoring five points from the perimeter as San Beda began to miss open looks. Eight unanswered by the Tigers gave them a two-point lead, but an and-one by Adeogun with 10 seconds to play ensured a 53-52 Red Lions lead, heading into the final frame.

UST wasted no time in going back on top, as a Mariano split and a turnover basket by Ed Daquioag put them ahead in the first minute, 55-53. But the Tigers tripped themselves up as San Beda converted misses and turnovers into fast break opportunities on the other end for nine unanswered points starring Dela Rosa and Amer, 64-57, before the Tigers made their last stand.

The Red Lions finished the game shooting 27-of-64 (42 percent) from the field and held a 10-3 edge in second-chance points.

UST connected on 21-of-65 (32 percent) from the floor, including 9-of-20 (45 percent) from beyond the arc, with Teng and Bautista making 6-of-13.

San Beda shot just 1-of-11 (9 percent) from long distance but won the rebounding battle, 37-24, including 15-14 offensive.

Jeric Teng led all scorers with 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Karim Abdul tallied 12 points and nine rebounds. Clark Bautista and Aljon Mariano had nine points apiece, and the latter also registered nine rebounds and five assists. - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

SBC 74: Amer 15, Dela Rosa 13, Adeogun 12, Pascual 12, Dela Cruz 10, Mendoza 4, Abarcar 4, Koga 2, Ludovice 2, A Semerad 0, D Semerad 0, Sara 0, Villaruz 0

UST 70: Teng 27, Abdul 12, Mariano 9, Buatista 9, Lo 6, Daquioag 5, So 2, Pe 0, Ferrer 0, Sherrif 0, Tan 0, Macasaet 0, Lao 0, Hainga 0

Quarter scoring: 17-16, 32-35, 53-52, 74-70