FilOil: San Beda Red Lions rout UP Fighting Maroons

The San Beda College Red Lions continue to impress in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup, routing the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Friday, 70-58, at the FilOil Flying V Arena. The Red Lions led by as much as 26 points in the third period, spoiling the Maroons' maiden game in the tournament to notch their second win in a row, taking a 2-1 card in Group A play. Rome Dela Rosa led all scorers with 18 points on a perfect 6-of-6 mark from the floor. Ola Adeogun notched 12 points and seven rebounds, while Francis Abarcar added 10 points. Ryusei Koga had nine points and five assists, and David Semerad had 11 rebounds to go with a solitary marker. "I'm really happy with the way we played today. They really prepared very hard against UP, it's a really good morale booster," said San Beda head coach Boyet Fernandez. "But I give credit to UP, they played really hard down the stretch." Fernandez, a former Maroons coach, didn't take any special satisfaction in beating his old team. "I'm really happy to have coached UP before. It helped me grow as a coach and learn other facets of the game, kasi magkaiba ang pagco-coach sa amateur at professional teams." This is San Beda's last FilOil game before they depart for their annual training camp in Los Angeles next Friday. They're slated to return on May 15. Ryusei Koga buoyed the Red Lions' first quarter start, including a triple in his seven quick points, as his team charged out to a 13-5 advantage. Julius Wong made back-to-back jumpers as the Maroons briefly engaged San Beda in a shootout with under five minutes to play. But UP was unable to tie things up on the defensive end, allowing jumpers from Rome Dela Rosa and giving away fouls, as the Red Lions took a 24-13 advantage after the first period. The Maroons lost big man Raul Soyud to foul trouble early in the second quarter, leaving them with no proven scoring options on the floor. Meanwhile Ola Adeogun and Anthony Semerad took advantage of their size going to the basket, scoring four apiece to bring the tally to 32-15. Thanks to UP's penalty situation, the Red Lions posted a 12-4 run, punctuated by a Francis Abarcar and-one, before Paolo Romero gave the Maroons their first field goal of the quarter with a baseline jumper with under three minutes to play, 39-19. UP redeemed itself as a Mikee Reyes triple helped them to an 8-4 finish, still trailing 43-25 at halftime. San Beda kept up the pressure when play resumed, with Ivan Ludovice and Rome Dela Rosa connecting from range in a quick 11-2 run, to lead by as much as 26 points, 57-31, with under a minute to play. The Maroons brought the deficit back 20 after a late 7-1 run in the final minute, capped by a Romero trey, to trail 58-38 after three quarters. The Red Lions' starters returned to the floor and stayed until deep into the fourth quarter, despite the assurance of a 20-point margin. But San Beda sued for time when they surrendered a 6-0 run to rookie Kyles Lao, a high school standout with Xavier School, and former DLSU Green Archer Sam Marata with under four minutes to play, 64-49. Marata continued to eat into the deficit, leading up to the final tally. The Maroons held a 16-8 advantage in turnover points, while San Beda had a 15-10 margin in fast break points. The Red Lions shot 45 percent from the field in the first half before finishing 23-of-64 overall (36 percent). The Maroons improved from 23 percent to finish 20-of-63 (32 percent). The Maroons also struggled from the charity stripe as they went 16-of-35 (46 percent) against San Beda's 22-of-28 (79 percent). Marata, a former UPIS juniors MVP, led State U with 13 points. Mikee Reyes, Paolo Romero and Raul Soyud tallied eight points apiece, with Soyud adding 11 boards. Reyes, Romero and Soyud combined for 8-of-19 from the field. - AMD, GMA News The scores: SBC 70: Dela Rosa 18, Adeogun 12, Abarcar 10, Koga 9, Ludovice 8, Dela Cruz 4, A Semerad 4, Pascual 2, Sara 2, D Semerad 1, Bonsubre 0, Abatayo 0, Mendoza 0 UP 58: Marata 13, Reyes 8, Romero 8, Soyud 8, Lao 5, Wong 4, Harris 4, Desiderio 4, Amar 2, Suarez 1, Paras 1, Ball 0, Asilum 0, Gallarza 0, Gingerich 0, Ligad 0 Quarter scoring: 24-13, 43-25, 58-38, 70-58