San Beda preys on Grey-less St. Benilde, takes top spot

San Beda forward Art dela Cruz (18) drives in between St. Benilde defenders during their game Friday at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

San Beda was merciless as it mauled a College of St. Benilde side missing its best player, 89-63, to take the top spot in the NCAA Season 91 men’s basketball tournament Friday at the Arena in San Juan.

With the win, the Red Lions notched their ninth win in 11 starts just half a game ahead of idle Letran, which holds an 8-2 mark.

The story of the game was the third quarter where the Red Lions went on a 10-0 run to start with Ryusei Koga capping the blitz with a conventional three-point play for a commanding 48-31 lead with under seven minutes remaining.

San Beda head coach Jamike Jarin was pleased with his team’s offensive distribution with six players finishing in double-digits. 

“I like it this way, ever since high school I liked selfless basketball,” Jarin said. “I like how things turned out, with the offense, and how they handled the ball.”

San Beda forward and PBA-bound Art De La Cruz, who is expected to contribute right away for expansion team Blackwater in the pros, once again had an all-around performance of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists while big man Ola Adeogun added 12 points and seven rebounds. 

Ranbill Tongco and Koga each had 11 points while Pierre Tankoua, the Lions other import, added 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. 

CSB played without Jonathan Grey, whose services were severely missed. Grey’s did not play status was a coach’s decision.

Jarin said the game could’ve been more interesting had the All Star Game MVP played. 

John Domingo led the 2-8 Blazers with 20 points while Christian Fajarito added 11 points and 10 rebounds.