NCAA: San Beda runs away in fourth period to beat Letran in finals opener

Defending champion San Beda pulls away late to beat rival Letran, 80-68, and take a 1-0 headstart in their best-of-three championship duel in the NCAA Season 89 Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena. Video by INQUIRER.net’s Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion San Beda pulled away late to beat rival Letran, 80-68, and take a 1-0 headstart in their best-of-three championship duel in the NCAA Season 89 Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Red Lions, who are now a win away from their fourth straight crown, used a 23-5 run that turned a 52-57 deficit to a 75-62 lead in a span of six minutes to close out the Knights.

“It’s not yet over,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. We just won one game and we still have to win another game.”

“We will be ready again for Letran. Letran did a good job but credit again goes to my players. Ola (Adeogun) was in foul trouble again in the first quarter but he really came back and played in the fourth quarter,” Fernandez added.

Ola Adeogun led San Beda with 16 points and 11 rebounds while chief playmaker Baser Amer and backup guard John Ludovice added 11 apiece.

Amer, who had eight points in the final frame, also collected eight rebounds and six assists while Ludovice, the second-year player, scored all of his points in the fourth quarter.

Game 2 is on Thursday also at the MOA Arena.

Ludovice and Amer knocked in back-to-back triples before Adeogun went coast-to-coast unmolested for the easy layup that made it, 75-62, with just 2:13 remaining as San Beda outscored Letran, 33-15, in the fourth period.

“It’s still Baser Amer. He’s been missing his shots in the first three quarters but he came back in the fourth quarter. What a heart of a champion,” Fernandez praised.

The Red Lions’ offense clicked at the right time but at the end of the day, it was about what they did at the other end of the floor.

“It wasn’t about our offense. It’s about our defense that won this game for us,” said Adeogun, who had the upper hand against counterpart Raymond Almazan in their matchup.

“I told the guys to just stick to our system. We stayed with the defensive mentality,” said Fernandez.

Diminutive point guard Mark Cruz played big anew for the Knights with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while PBA-bound Almazan had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Cruz though hurt his thumb and had to sit for an extended period on the bench in the game’s crucial moment and was rendered helpless as the Knights saw the Red Lions break the match wide open sans their best scorer.

The lanky six-foot-seven Almazan meanwhile, was held to just two points in the fourth quarter after going off with 14 in the third period, where Letran failed to maintain a 53-47 edge entering the fourth quarter.

San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez and player Ola Adeogun, who led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds to defeat rival Letran, 80-68,  on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013, tell media people in a post-game press conference how the team overcame a 52-57 deficit to a 75-62 lead in six minues. San Beda has to win another game in a best-of-three championship duel in the NCAA Season 89.  VIDEO BY RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net