The top spot cannot be denied from San Beda College (SBC) for the ninth straight year.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) seniors basketball dynasty snapped its three-game losing skid and gained the number one spot for almost a decade running in the seniors basketball tournament, routing first time semifinalist Arellano University, 97-69, in Friday’s playoff for the number one spot at The Arena in San Juan City.

Down 0-8 early in the game, the Red Lions seized the Chiefs’ propensity to foul, ending the second quarter with a 15-0 run to end the first half at 43-32.

The run was anchored on San Beda’s odd lineup of four big men and one point guard, who were fielded when Arellano U’s top playmaker John Pinto was benched in the second quarter because of three early fouls.

It proved to be the turning point of the game as the Red Lions never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the game.

“I just matched up with what they’re giving,” said San Beda’s head coach Boyet Fernandez. “I think Art [de la Cruz] and Jaypee [Mendoza] can play the three and they delivered for us.”

The two power forwards used superior mobility to outpace Arellano’s slower big men, offering easy baskets for centers Ola Adeogun and Kyle Pascual.

Arellano’s woes were also worsened by two unsportsmanlike fouls from Christian Palma and Keith Agovida, which led to four made free throws from Pascual and Anthony Semerad.

“We lost in terms of rebounding and managing our fouls. They [San Beda] have manpower, they have very big men,” said Arellano’s head coach Jerry Codinera, whose squad sustained their second straight loss coming to the Final Four.

Agovida tried to spark an Arellano run in the third quarter, scoring six points which included a getaway slam but back-to-back treys from San Beda’s back-up point guard Roldan Sara extended the Lions’ lead to 63-47.

The Red Lions then opened the fourth quarter with a 14-2 run which pitted triples from Mendoza and Ryusei Koga for an 81-58 lead, which extended to a 32-point lead, 97-65, late in the fourth quarter.

“It’s the intensity, it’s the drive of the players that made us get this win. They’ve proven that the three losses were flukes,” Fernandez said, referring to San Beda’s losses against the University of Perpetual Help, Jose Rizal University (JRU), and Arellano to close the elimination round.

Incidentally, the three aforementioned schools are this season’s final four contenders.

“Our adjustment is that we focused more on the positives than the negatives,” Fernandez explained.

San Beda’s playmaker Baser Amer led his team with 21 points and five assists on top of a splendid eight-of-13 shots. Adeogun added 15 points and 12 rebounds while Mendoza tallied nine points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Arellano, on the other hand, was led by Agovida, who put in ten points and ten rebounds before being ejected in the 5:38 mark of the fourth quarter due to a second unsportsmanlike foul. He will sit down in the Final Four game against the Heavy Bombers next Wednesday.

San Beda will next battle the Altas at 2:00 pm in this Wednesday’s Final Four at the Mall of Asia Arena, their third straight semis matchup against the Las Pinas-based school.