San Beda escapes upset-minded Southwestern U
University of Santo Tomas exacted a small measure of revenge for their UAAP Finals loss in their Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League Final Four round robin opener on Wednesday at the Arena in San Juan City.
The Tigers downed the highly fancied five-time defending UAAP champions Ateneo de Manila University, 76-66, behind the 22 points of gunslinging guard Jeric Teng.
Despite nursing a bum knee, Karim Abdul outdueled Ateneo counterpart Greg Slaughter with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Coach Pido Jarencio praised his boys’ “total team effort” despite their almost complete lack of practice due to numerous commitments in other tournaments.
The Tigers ended their raucous second quarter surge on a 9-3 run that closed out an impressive 26-14 outpouring that was marked by Teng’s 11 point scoring binge. No Blue Eagle scored more than 3 points, or more than one field goal apiece during that stretch.
Though Jarencio’s wards led by as much as 13 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the game, Ateneo made one final push that cut down the black and gold’s lead to eight. However, a shot clock buzzer-beating trey from the top of the key nixed all hopes of a miraculous comeback.
UAAP Finals MVP Nico Salva finished with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting off the bench, while Kiefer Ravena tallied 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in the loss.
Meanwhile, San Beda survived a lackluster second half performance to eke out a thrilling 73-72 victory over Southern Islands champion Southwestern University.
The Red Lions had to deal with two foreign big men touted by the Cobras, Justine Aboude and Benoit M’bala, without the services of Nigerian big man Ola Adeogun who sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Fruitas’ PBA D-League game against Blackwater Sports.
In his absence, Jake Pascual filled in his big shoes with 17 points and 12 rebounds. 2012 NCAA Finals MVP Baser Amer led the steady backcourt with 15 points and 6 assists, while Ryusei Koga had 12 points off the bench.
“I thought we had a terrific first half, but in the second half I felt we just got tired,” said San Beda head coach Ronnie Magsanoc. “We have only practiced for 11 days, bungi-bungi pa dahil may D-League pa ang schedules ng mga players.”
Leading by 17 after the first 30 minutes, the weariness of having to play two straight games in two days took its toll on the Red Lions as the Cobras’ starting center M’bala exploded for 15 of his team-leading 27 points in the pivotal fourth period.
Big men Jake and Kyle Pascual nursed foul trouble, together with the unfortunate opportunity of going on a miserable 2-for-18 shooting during the final 10 minutes. But luck was still on the side of the Mendiola five, as the 2012 CESAFI champions could not convert on their last possession as point guard Benito Nalos made a costly decision to keep the ball in his hands and let the time expire.
Both the Red Lions and Tigers will face off on Friday at 4:00pm at the San Juan Arena to decide the first participant in the best-of-three Finals.
BOX SCORES
First game
SAN BEDA (73): J. Pascual 17, Amer 15, Koga 12, Caram 9, Dela Cruz 7, K. Pascual 6, Dela Rosa 4, Ludovice 3, Mendoza 0
SOUTHWESTERN U (72): M’bala 27, Arong 13, Aboude 8, Guillena 8, Nalos 7, Bregondo 6, Ortuyo 3, Goloran 0, Dedace 0
Quarters: 23-19, 46-29, 67-50, 73-72
Second game
SANTO TOMAS (76): Teng 22, Abdul 15, Fortuna 9, Ferrer 8, Afuang 8, Mariano 5, Bautista 3, Vigil 2, Pe 0, Daquioag 2, Lo 0
ATENEO (66): Salva 13, Ravena 12, Slaughter 11, Sumalinog 10, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 5, Golla 2, Buenafe 2, Capacio 2, Pessumal 0, Chua 0, Elorde 0
Quarters: 16-18, 42-32, 59-46, 76-66
