MANILA, Philippines – In a battle between two longtime NCAA rivals, the San Beda Red Lions prevailed over the Letran Knights with a thrilling 66-64 win in the Season 100 men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Tuesday, October 1.
Sharpshooting guard Bryan Sajonia sank the clutch go-ahead trey for the defending champion Red Lions with 42.6 seconds left as they completed a furious comeback after trailing by as many as 10 points down in the third quarter.
NCAA | WATCH:
COLD-BLOODED.
Bryan Sajonia’s clutch three-pointer that gave San Beda the 66-64 lead with 42.6 seconds remaining. #NCAASeason100 pic.twitter.com/6uZAfjiini
— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) October 1, 2024
“Big win for us,” said San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta.
“The boys really grinded it out because they really wanted to win.”
With Letran enjoying a 51-41 cushion late in the third period, the Red Lions showed their championship experience and unloaded a massive 17-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters for a 58-51 edge at the 6:06 mark of the final frame.
However, a furious 11-3 run by the Knights gave them back the lead with 2:21 to play in the game, 62-61, off a jumper by NCAA Player of the Week Kevin Santos.
Jomel Puno put the Red Lions back on top with a smooth fastbreak finish before Letran’s Jimboy Estrada connected on a tough floater with 50.8 ticks remaining to give the Knights a precarious 64-63 lead.
Despite struggling the whole contest, Sajonia then knocked down the cold-blooded long bomb — which ultimately proved to be the game-winner — as Letran failed to convert on multiple opportunities in the endgame.
“Bryan won’t shy away from shooting,” said Escueta in Filipino of his prized recruit Sajonia, who went 3-of-12 from the field, including a 1-of-7 clip from beyond the arc.
“But again, it complements the hard work he does. He shoots every morning, he’s confident with his shots, and we’re confident with him,” added Escueta.
After dropping 20 points in San Beda’s previous outing, Puno showed the way for the Red Lions anew with a career-best 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, highlighted by a thunderous poster jam on Santos in the second quarter.
The sophomore swingman also hauled down a team-high 10 rebounds for the Red Lions, who tied the Perpetual Altas in the fourth spot with a 4-3 card.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-7 Santos topscored with 18 points for the Knights, who played without their other star big man Paolo Javillonar.
Estrada added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Knights in the sorry loss as they saw their three-game winning run come to an end, falling to third place with a 5-3 record.
Earlier, the College of Saint Benilde Blazers survived a gutsy challenge by the San Sebastian Stags with a narrow 96-94 overtime win.
Jhomel Ancheta saved the day for the Blazers as he delivered the crafty, game-winning layup with 3.3 seconds left in the extra period.
San Sebastian had one final crack at the victory, but Lauren Gabat’s potential game-winning trey came up short at the buzzer.
Tony Ynot starred for the top-seeded Blazers in their sixth win in seven games with an all-around line of 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Allen Liwag posted yet another double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds for CSB, which squandered a huge 26-point lead in the second half.
Raymart Escobido saw his game-high 29 point explosion for the Stags go down the drain as they suffered their sixth consecutive loss for a 2-6 slate.
Rafael Are helped Escobido carry San Sebastian’s scoring load with 20 points, to go with 7 steals.
The Scores
First Game
CSB 96 – Ynot 23, Liwag 17, Sanchez 8, Torres 8, Eusebio 7, Turco 6, Morales 6, Ancheta 5, Cometa 4, Ondoa 4, Cajucom 3, Jarque 3, Sangco 2, Oli 0.
San Sebastian 94 – Escobido 29, Are 20, Gabat 12, Felebrico 9, Aguilar 9, Gabat 4, Ricio 3, Barroga 2, Velasco 2, Suico 2, Lintol 2, Pascual 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 31-20, 58-37, 78-61, 87-87 (reg.), 96-94 (OT).
Second Game
San Beda 66 – Puno 22, Sajonia 8, Celzo 8, Songcuya 8, Andrada 8, Payosing 6, Tagle 3, Estacio 3, Gonzales 0, Calimag 0, Tagala 0, Royo 0.
Letran 64 – Santos 18, Estrada 16, Cuajao 12, Nunag 7, Montecillo 5, Miller 4, Monje 2, Jumao-os 0, Go 0, Dimaano 0, Baliling 0.
Quarters: 20-16, 30-32, 49-51, 66-64.
– Rappler.com
