San Beda rallies to beat Benilde, faces Letran in NCAA 101 Finals

Game on Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
2:30 p.m. – Letran vs San Beda (Srs)

THE NCAA will have one of its fiercest, bitterest rivals gracing its Season 101 finals — San Beda University and Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

It was forged by the San Beda Red Lions’ come-from-behind 84-81 win over the College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers in the deciding Game Three of their semifinal showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

PBA-bound Yulkien Andrada delivered a tour-de-force performance by unleashing 27 points, including 20 in the second half when he carried the Red Lions back from as big as an 11-point deficit and into a two to one series victory and straight to the finals.

There, San Beda, which took the opener but dropped Game Two, will face Letran, which swept University of Perpetual Help in two outings in their own semis duel, in another best-of-three series unfurling on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It will be a return trip to the finals for San Beda, which was denied a shot at a title defense by the same team that it eliminated just this moment.

And it was because of its Captain Lionheart in Mr. Andrada.

“Yukien (Andrada) is an unselfish guy. All season long, he just let his teammates feel themselves. But when the lights shine brighter, he’s ready to step up,” said San Beda coach Yuri Escueta.

Truly, Mr. Andrada came through when his team needed it most, erupting for 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half when the CSB Blazers erased that massive double-digit deficit.

Mr. Andrada shone the brightest in the final canto when he exploded for 11 points that helped complete the fight back.

It will be a rematch for the archrivals as they last faced each other four years ago in a series eventually won by Letran.

That series was so close, it went the distance and with an average winning margin of just two points a game.

Now expect another epic showdown.

“I just guarantee to everyone we’ll give Philippine basketball fans our best and the best finals they’ll ever see,” said Mr. Escueta. — Joey Villar

The scores:

San Beda 84 – Andrada 27, Miller 26, Sajonia 10, Gonzales 7, Puno 6, Celzo 4, Lina 4, Reyes 0, Etulle 0, Estacio 0, Songcuya 0

CSB 81 – Ynot 18, Celis 14, Torres 12, Liwag 10, Cajucom 10, Ancheta 7, Umali 6, Sanchez 4, Morales 0, Gaspay 0, Cometa 0

Quarterscores: 21-26; 34-45; 59-64; 84-81