FILE–San Beda’s James Kwekuteye. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Even after scoring a career-high 28 points for San Beda, James Kwekuteye was disappointed with the team’s most recent loss on Sunday.
The graduating guard said his high scoring output was almost null as his main goal was to get the Red Lions’ sixth season win.
“I looked at the stat sheet and I thought it was cool. It’s a great feeling but we still lost. 28 points doesn’t mean anything because we still lost,” Kwekuteye said after the San Beda’s 78-69 collapse against the College of St. Benilde at San Juan Arena.
The playmaker finished with 28 markers on a high 42.3 percent shooting clip while converting six shots from beyond the arc. He also pulled down eight rebounds to go along with two steals.
In eight games, Kwekuteye has been averaging 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.
“I tried, I tried and I tried. We’re gonna get them back in the second round for sure,” he added.
Benilde coach Charles Tiu also lauded the 6-foot-2’s outstanding performance.
“James played great. It was so hard to defend him. I thought we were able to slow down (JB) Bahio at least but James was still solid,” Tiu stated.
On the other end, the Bedan slasher also commended his Blazers counterpart Migs Oczon, who finished with 19 points from five three-point baskets.
“We came up short at the end due to those triples by Oczon. He’s a good shooter, credits to him.”
The Red Lions, who currently hold a 5-3 record, will end their first round run against Perpetual Help on Wednesday at 3 p.m