San Beda Dumps UP, Still Unbeaten at 4-0

The San Beda College Red Lions relied on their defense and championship experience down the stretch to put away the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, 73-63 at The Arena, to post a dominant 4-0 record in the FilOil Flying V Pre-season Tournament.

In a game of runs, UP reeled off 10 straight unanswered points in the final frame while San Beda on the other hand, couldn't buy a basket despite getting easy opportunities down low. That allowed the Maroons to take their second and final lead in the game, 63-62, with 6:09 left in the game off a Mike Gamboa deuce.

In response, the Red Lions called timeout and never looked back. Jake Pascual hit consecutive baskets in the paint, including a lay-up off a backdoor pass from Adeogun with three and a half minutes left. Then Dela Rosa and Amer hit a bucket each to complete a final 9-0 run for the Red Lions to stave off any chance of a UP comeback.

San Beda's new coach Ronnie Magsanoc took responsibility for allowing UP to outscore his squad in the pivotal final quarter that gave the Maroons confidence to fight through an early hole.

"I'm grateful that when things didn't work out, we were able to find solutions off the bench," he said, crediting his team's effort in battling Maroons team that was taller and more talented than in the last UAAP season.

The Maroons' defense looked good early on, posting a7-4 advantage in the opening three minutes of the game. They even managed three blocks in one possession, compliments of big men Raul Suyod and Filipino-American rookie, Chris Ball.

The Red Lions' fortunes turned around when Nigerian center Ola Adeogun checked into the game. The big man had seven points in the first period and anchored San Beda's defense as the Maroons would only hit one more field goal in the quarter, a three-pointer from Cebu newcomer Henry Asilum. They pushed the tempo on offense and got UP into foul trouble early, creating a 22-10 cushion for San Beda after one quarter.

However at the start of the second frame, the Maroons took advantage of Adeogun's absence on the floor en route to a 16-5 outburst, putting themselves back in the game.

UP's backcourt trio of Mike Silungan, Mark Lopez and Mike Gamboa sizzled in transition, scoring at ease to trim the deficit to three.

UP's defense would falter anew in the final three minutes of the half though, allowing slasher Julius Armon to penetrate inside for easy points at the line. Another buzzer-beating basket by Rome dela Rosa provided some comfort for the Red Lions, who now led by six points at the half, 37-31.

Both teams began to click offensively in the third. Backed by baskets from Jett Manuel, the Maroons trimmed the deficit to three points again with 4:36 to play off a shot by Paolo Romero.

The reigning NCAA champions, not a team to suffer a surge lightly, responded by getting to the line, as the Maroons' gave up 16 free throw attempts in the quarter. That set-up the final quarter, and another big run by the Red Lions to seal the victory.

After dominating the fourth quarter against Ateneo last Saturday, Nigerian center Ola Adeogun and point guard Baser Amer, picked up right where they left off. Adegoun posted a dominant 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Amer ran the show to the tune of 15 points and four assists.

In addition to their powerful duo, the Lions ran a balanced offense that saw six players scoring at least eight points.

The Red Lions feasted on points from the free throw line, making 25 of 34 charities, to compensate against a scrappy Diliman team that put up 13 more field goal attempts.

UP forced 24 turnovers, uncharacteristic of San Beda, that they converted into 22 points.

Third-year veteran Mike Silungan was the only UP player in double digits, notching 12 markers. However he missed all seven of his tries from deep, as his team made only 3 of 21 from that distance.

Halfway through their eight-game schedule, San Beda has a mighty 4-0 standing, while UP, having just played their first game, go to 0-1.

The scores: 

SBC 73: Adeogun 19, Amer 15, Dela Rosa 8, Caram 8, J Pascual 8, Armon 8, Lim 3, K

Pascual 2, Mendoza 1, Koga 1, Dela Cruz 0, Solera 0, Moralde 0, Ludovice 0

UP 63: Silungan 12, Gamboa 9, Soyud 8, Romero 6, Montecastro 6, Lopez 6, Padilla 5,

Manuel 5, Asilum 3, Hipolito 3, Ball 0, Reyes 0, Mbah 0, Nguidjol 0, Weirzba 0

Quarter scores: 22-10, 37-31, 62-53, 73-63

source: AMD, GMA News