“We’re lucky, Fran Yu wasn’t there on the floor,” said league MVP Calvin Oftana, who delivered the decisive three-point play with 19.1 seconds remaining that allowed San Beda to force the decider with a 79-76 win.
Oftana was referring to Yu being forced to leave the floor early in the fourth quarter because of cramps, which led to the Knights eventually losing a seven-point lead.
And while the Lions swept the 18-game eliminations and made it seems like the title series would be a cakewalk, the Knights have changed all hype surrounding the championship playoffs with a stunning Game 1 win and that courageous stand in the next as one of the league’s most heated rivalries gets to have a classic ending it deserves.
“It’s really nice playing Letran. I really love to play against them,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, whose Lions are looking for their fourth championship in a row. “Whoever wins truly deserves it.”
“Going into this game (Game 3), our desire to win will play a very important role,” Oftana added.
Tip-off is at 4 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Even with Evan Nelle and James Canlas taking turns playing defense on him, Yu still proved unstoppable—knocking down three stepback threes in one stretch and banking a shot in the lane that gave the Knights control late in the third.
The Letran ace point guard capped his heroics with another three early in the fourth but was pulled out after suffering from leg cramps—the price he paid for giving it his all when the pressure was truly at its highest.
“We just moved forward from that defeat and focus our energies on Game 3,” said Letran coach Bonnie Tan, looking for his first NCAA title while aiming to provide the Knights their second crown in five seasons.
Brawny center Larry Muyang, who kept Letran afloat after Yu couldn’t return, will again provide an interesting face-off with Donald Tankoua, San Beda’s Cameroonian center.
“It was unfortunate for me. I will come in more prepared this time,” said Yu, the tournament’s most improved player who led the Knights throughout the stepladder semifinals.
Jerrick Balanza and Bonbon Batiller’s match-up with the versatile Canlas and the hot-shooting Clint Doliguez will also be a thrill to watch.