FilOil: Manalili, Santos spark Letran's escape vs rival San Beda

Titing Manalili and Kevin Santos provided timely plays to lift Colegio de San Juan de Letran to a 67-63 win against longtime NCAA rival San Beda Univeristy to continue its winning streak in the 2026 FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Monday.

Separated by just a point late in the fourth, Manalili came alive after escaping the defense of Zed Etulle and completing a layup that gave the Knights a 62-59 lead in their NCAA finals rematch against the Red Lions.

Manalili then issued a left-handed pass to a wide open Santos, who knocked down an unusual three-pointer that extended Letran's lead to six, 65-59, with 40 seconds left in the frame.

Richi Calimag, though, fueled a San Beda comeback by firing a long jumper and sinking a pair of free throws to cut their deficit to just two, 63-65, in the final 22 seconds.

But Santos and rookie Justin Cargo split their free throws as the Knights held on to complete the upset and cruise to their seventh win in a row. The last time Letran lost was during their opening game against Jose Rizal University, 70-80.

Manalili top-scored with 20 points, along with eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals while Santos poured in 13 markers, five boards, and one dime as Letran improved to 7-1. San Beda, meanwhile, fell to 6-2.

—JMB, GMA News