San Beda University is set to meet a familiar foe in Colegio de San Juan de Letran as it returns to the NCAA men's basketball Finals stage.
The Red Lions booked their ticket to the championship round after eliminating the College of Saint Benilde through an 84–81 win in their do-or-die Game 3 of the Season 101 Final 4 on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
San Beda and Letran will begin their Best-of-3 Finals series on Wednesday, December 10, at 2:00 p.m., still at the Big Dome.
Their last Finals meeting was in Season 95 in 2019, when the Fran Yu–led Knights defeated the Calvin Oftana and Evan Nelle–bannered Red Lions in three games.
Helping the Red Lions get the job done this was Yuki Andrada who fired 27 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting, while Janti Miller returned from his right knee contusion with 26 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
"All season long, he let his teammates find their groove. But now that the lights are brighter, he is ready to step up," said Red Lions coach Yuri Escueta, hailing Andrada.
Andrada, the Magnolia Hotshots' sixth overall pick in the PBA Season 50 Rookie Draft, indeed stepped up just when San Beda needed him most.
To complete their comeback from an 11-point deficit, Andrada drilled a triple with 6:33 left in the fourth to tie the game at 72.
The Red Lions and the Blazers then traded blows from that point on, but Andrada struck again from deep with 3:32 remaining to give San Beda an 81–77 cushion.
Despite Allen Liwag helping Saint Benilde pull within one, 82–81, with 1:17 left, Andrada calmly sank his free throws to restore an 84–81 lead, while San Beda's defense denied the Blazers a clean look from long range as they attempted to force overtime.
Liwag finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and three assists for Benilde, while Tony Ynot and Raffy Celis stepped up with 18 and 14 markers, respectively.
Ian Torres also had 12 points, followed by Josh Cajucom's 10, but their efforts went for naught as the Blazers fell short of a second straight Finals appearance.
Head coach Yuri Escueta and San Beda will square off with Letran in the best-of-three Season 101 championship series tipping off on Wednesday at Araneta Coliseum.
“Hindi siya magiging madali,” Escueta said candidly, as the archrivals split their elimination round meetings.
“Letran is a tough team. They are good, properly backed by SGA (Strong Group Athletics of Frank Lao). They have a good coaching staff and talented players.”
Escueta actually expected the Knights to be in the title series from the very start, saying, “Before the season started, all-stars team yung Letran eh. And Titing Manalili is very talented.”
That's why he will be the first to admit he and the Red Lions are up against a tall task, especially after losing the most recent head-to-head matchup.
“Talo kami sa kanila. I think they’re peaking at the right time. Hats off to their coaches. Malakas yung Letran,” he stressed.
“Ang best player ng NCAA ngayon, si Titing Manalili. We have to prepare well for him. And I know they’re gonna give Janti [Miller] a tough time. It's gonna be a dogfight.”
Still, despite the rivalry series being on the finals stage, Escueta said his wards should not be worried about carrying any added weight.
“Wala namang pressure. I just want my players to enjoy and experience that atmosphere. Hindi lahat ng San Beda players at hindi lahat ng Letran players, naka-experience na maglaro sa San Beda–Letran match,” he said.
