San Beda bounces back strong, devours Lyceum

MANILA, Philippines – After suffering a disappointing defeat in the hands of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in its last outing, San Beda College returned on a strong note as the Red Lions walloped Lyceum of the Philippines University, 97-74, in the men’s basketball tournament of NCAA Season 91 on Tuesday, July 21.

Art Dela Cruz took charge for the Mendiola-based troop in the exploitation of the Pirates with his fourth double-double performance as he hauled 22 points, 14 rebounds, 6 steals and two blocks, in the game held at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Back-up reinforcement Pierre Tankoua filled in for Ola Adeogun, who had a swollen hand, in the second half. Tankoua stepped up with 13 markers, 4 boards and 4 blocks.

Meanwhile, the duo of Roldan Sara and Ranbill Tongco facilitated San Beda’s breakaway after concluding the first half with only a single-digit edge, as they chipped in 11 and 9 points, respectively.

Although the red-and-white brigade’s fluidity in ball movement allowed the likes of Dela Cruz and Adeogun to attack the basket in the first period, Lyceum limited San Beda to 15 points in the second frame as the Topex Robinson-mentored squad was able to catch up with the assistance of Wilson Baltazar and Lugo Noah. They  combined for 17 points to shrink their counterpart’s lead from 13 to 9 at halftime, 42-33.

Lyceum’s foreign student Guy Mbida made his presence felt in the third canto, where he went in and out of the shaded lane and picked up fruits from the foul line.

But San Beda pulled away with an 8-0 blitz at the 2:34-mark of the third quarter that was sparked by a 3-pointer from Dela Cruz and capped off by Jeramer’s Cabañag’s drive to the rim.

Jamike Jarin’s boys polished it off in the fourth quarter by giving opportunities to Ryusei Koga, Michole Sorela and Javee Mocon to convert their field goals.

With the impressive victory over Lyceum, San Beda improved its record to 3-1 in the team standings.

The Pirates dropped to 1-3 and were led by Mbida with 13 points, 8 rebounds and two assists.

Scores:

San Beda (97) – Dela Cruz 22, Tankoua 13, Koga 12, Sara 11, Adeogun 10, Tongco 9, Cabanag 8, Mocon 6, Solera 4, Bonsubre 2, Reyes 0, Presbitero 0, Sedillo 0.

Lyceum (74) – Mbida 13, Baltazar 12, Gabayni 11, Lugo 8, Bulawan 8, Ayaay 6, Taladua 4, Malabanan 3, Alanes 3, Soliman 2, Marata 2, Lacastesantos 2, Sunga 0.

Quarter scores: 27-14, 42-33,70-57, 97-74.