The vaunted San Beda defense forced a turnover on Letran star Kevin Alas with seconds to go and the Red Lions survived a tough encounter with the Knights, 62-60, in the opener of their best-of-three NCAA finals series at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Baser Amer led San Beda with 20 points, including 13 in a crucial run in the third period, alongside six rebounds and three assists while reserve Ryusei Koga knocked down a crucial three-pointer with about a minute remaining as the Red Lions took an early 1-0 lead in their title series.
“As expected, this is a different scenario compared to the two rounds. Letran is a very confident team and they are well-coached,” said San Beda coach Ronnie Magsanoc.
The Red Lions enjoyed an early 17-7 lead in the first period on completed three-point plays by Amer and contributions from Ola Adeogun and Rome Dela Rosa.
But Letran buckled down on defense in the second quarter, holding the Red Lions down to just six points all period as the Knights took a 25-24 lead at the halftime break. Alas scored 15 points in the first two periods.
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The Scores:
San Beda (62) — Amer 20, Koga 9, Adeogun 8, J. Pascual 8, Dela Cruz 6, Dela Rosa 4, Caram 3, K. Pascual 2, Mendoza 1, Lim 0.
Letran (60) — K. Alas 18, Racal 14, Cruz 11, Almazan 8, Belorio 7, Cortes 2, Lituania 0, J. Alas 0, Gabawan 0, Luib 0.
Quarters: 18-12, 24-25, 47-41, 62-60.
