San Beda nails back-to-back NCAA titles via sweep

LIONS’ BACK-TO-BACK ROAR. Last year’s champion, San Beda Red Lions is winning team again in the 2011 NCAA Finals, shown here at the Smart Araneta Coliseum posing with the victory sign. PHOTO BY AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines – San Beda did it again.

San Beda reprised last season’s dominance over San Sebastian as it copped the 87th NCAA men’s basketball championship via a sweep anew Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Red Lions outlasted the Stags, 57-55, in game two of the best-of-three finals with Fil-Australian David Semerad leading the way.

Semerad, after going scoreless game one, had a career game with 15 points –scoring all but two of San Beda’s only nine points in the payoff period, where both squads hit a dry spell.

It was San Beda’s 16th overall title, tying Letran for the most number of titles in the NCAA, and its fifth in the last six years.

“Every year, it’s always sweet to get the title because we know we worked hard for this price,” said San Beda head coach Frankie Lim.

Semerad’s baseline drive with 53.6 seconds remaining gave the Red Lions, who won 75-63 in game one, a four-point advantage which carried them through down the stretch.

Graduating center Dave Marcelo bagged the finals MVP award after he averaged eight points and 13.5 rebounds the entire series.

“He deserves it, especially in game one he played very well,” said Lim of Marcelo.

All season long, Marcelo filled the void left by former MVP Sudan Daniel, which Lim admitted to have been a really big blow for San Beda this season.

“We had major adjustments without Su around. It’s good a thing my bigs responded to the challenge, like Dave here. They delivered the goods for us,” said Lim.