NCAA: San Beda turns it on late, takes game one of the Finals

(Update-2 5:35pm) The San Beda Red Lions pummeled the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights with a late fourth quarter onslaught, 80-68, to take game one of the NCAA Season 89 men's basketball finals, Monday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The three-time defending champions trailed by six entering the final period, but balanced playmaking and a timely three-point barrage led to a 26-9 haymaker to unhorse the Knights in the first match of the best-of-three series.

Last season, with the same two teams as the protagonists, Letran took San Beda to three games, but the Red Lions managed to hang on for a third straight crown, their sixth in seven seasons.

Ola Adeogun led the way for San Beda, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half to go with 11 rebounds. Baser Amer sprinkled all his 11 points after the break to go with eight rebounds and six assists. Yvan Ludovice exploded for 11 points in the fourth quarter to round out San Beda's top scorers.

Head coach Boyet Fernandez praised his role players for stepping up during key moments, especially since Adeogun and Rome Dela Rosa battled foul trouble all game long. But he praised Amer especially for taking control late in the game. "He missed his shots in the first three quarters but came back in the fourth. He has the heart of the champion," said Fernandez.

The fourth quarter storm lifted San Beda to victory, but Fernandez stressed that it was merely a side effect of their dedication on the defensive end. "We came back in the fourth quarter. We just told our guys to stick to our system and make stops," he said. "That's San Beda: we get stops. If our defense doesn't work, we'll have a problem."

San Beda had the upper hand early on as Rome Dela Rosa and Art Dela Cruz muscled for offensive boards and inside points, while limiting the Knights to a couple transition scores, good for an 8-4 lead.

With four minutes left, Ford Ruaya and Mark Cruz put Letran back on the scoreboard. Meanwhile the Red Lions' offense sputtered when Dela Rosa and Ola Adeogun drew their second personal fouls late in the quarter. Gaining steam, Cruz and Ruaya knotted the score at the end of the period, 12-12.

Jamil Gabawan made back-to-back hits to start the second quarter, but the Knights were unable to produce much else. For most of the period, their only points came off charities when Kyle Pascual was called for an unsportsmanlike foul against Ruaya. San Beda though took control with aggressive defense and good ball movement, as the Semerad twins and Pascual combined for a 12-2 blast, 24-18.

With 2:03 left, Jojo Belorio ended Letran's seven-minute shooting slump, and the Knights went for a late push. Belorio then hit a long two to tie the game at 24, before Dela Cruz flipped the ball in with three seconds left to preserve a 26-24 advantage for the Red Lions at halftime.

Raymond Almazan gave Letran a jolt to start the second half, scoring four quick points to go with a couple of huge swats on the other end. The Knights fed off his energy and began penetrating the lane, which was previously an off-limits zone in the first 20 minutes. Halfway through the quarter, Almazan notched six points in an 11-4 run, 35-30.

The Red Lions caught up in a hurry, pouncing on late rotations and quick transition offense. Adeogun dwarfed Almazan during an 11-5 stretch, handing the Red Lions a 41-40 lead with two and a half minutes left. However, the run came at a cost as Dela Rosa was soon tagged with four personal fouls and had to sit.

But Letran had the last laugh, using their quickness to get to the rim and draw fouls against the defense. Racal and Cruz took over once more, combining for 10 points in a 13-5 blitz to end the third period, 53-46.

The momentum swung in San Beda's favor at the start of the final period, as their reserve backcourt of Francis Abarcar and Yvan Ludovice established the tone with their shot creation. After a Ludovice triple, the Red Lions turned their attention to attacking the basket. Adeogun and David Semerad scored off pick and rolls, then Ludovice sank charities after getting fouled on the break to polish off a 15-4 rally, 62-57.

Reeling with under five minutes left, Racal scored a trey off a drive and dish play, but the Knights were thoroughly deflated as the Red Lions bombed away from the perimeter. Anthony Semerad, Ludovice and Baser Amer all dialed in from deep, 73-62, with under three minutes left to wrap the game up.

The Red Lions shot 28-of-70 (40 percent), while Letran went 26-of-66 (39 percent). San Beda also led from the free throw line, converting 16-of-28 (57 percent) attempts against the Knights' 14-of-18 (78 percent).

San Beda led in the assists tally, 22-16.

Back-up point guard Ryusei Koga, facing allegations of playing in another league against NCAA policy, was once again held out of action today by San Beda.

Mark Cruz top-scored in the game with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Raymond Almazan notched 16 points, including 14 in the third period, to complement 10 rebounds and three blocks. Kevin Racal scattered 12 points and and five boards. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

San Beda (80) - Adeogun 16, Amer 11, Ludovice 11, A. Semerad 9, Dela Cruz 8, Dela Rosa 8, Abarcar 6, D. Semerad 6, Pascual 5, Sara 0

Letran (68) - Cruz 22, Almazan 16, Racal 12, Ruaya 4, Tambeling 4, Belorio 4, Gabawan 4, Nambatac 2, Castro 0, Luib 0, Buenaflor 0

Quarter scoring: 12-12, 26-24, 47-53, 80-68