THREE weeks ago, pacesetter San Beda was at the wrong end of an upset by lowly Lyceum.
That wasn't happening again on Thursday, now in the playoffs of the NCAA Season 101 men's basketball tournament.
Yukien Andrada and Janti Miller showed the way for the Red Lions, as they imposed their will on the desperate Pirates, 91-67, in the middle of the Mall of Asia Arena floor.
Andrada fired 20 points built on six treys, while Miller was much too much for any defender for his 18 markers on top of six boards.
Behind those two, San Beda raced to a 7-2 start and then broke the game wide open in the third quarter, where their teammates joined in on the fun in an 18-6 blast that upped a nine-point edge into a 73-48 advantage.
The Red Lions wouldn't relinquish both the double-digit lead and the momentum until the final buzzer, as they continued their 19-season streak of Final Four appearances.
It wasn't just on offense where the red-and-white went full throttle, however, as it stymied Lyceum's top guns in John Barba and Renz Villegas to a combined 24 points in 9-of-27-percent shooting. The other Pirates couldn't pick up the slack, as in all, they wound up missing 55 of their 70 attempts from the field.
That led to a mammoth 59-32 rebounding advantage for San Beda, with Bismarck Lina corralling 13 for himself to go with 15 points, while fellow big Joe Celzo also accounted for 13 and starting point guard Nygel Gonzales had 10 of his own.
"I'm very pleased with how the team played, especially defensively and how we rebounded. Hats off to Joe and Bismarck for having 13 (rebounds) each, you can really see how they bought into locking in defensively and in rebounds," said head coach Yuri Escueta.
San Beda's eyes on the prize
With the 24-point beatdown, the Red Lions also exacted revenge on Lyceum, which pulled off a 78-66 shocker back in Nov. 4.
"'Di naman namin iniisip yun. We have a goal, and that's what we're focused on," added Escueta, harping on their quest to bring back the crown they last wore back in Season 99.
San Beda, the No. 1 team to come out of the so-called 'Group of Death,' now turns its attention to a semifinal showdown against the victor of the Benilde-Mapua do-or-die match on Friday.
READ: Charles Tiu questions Benilde's toughness in QFs loss to Mapua
As for the Pirates, they will now embark on a rebuild, with Barba having played his last game. Coach Gilbert Malabanan is set to turn over the keys to Villegas, as well as incoming first-year player Matthew Rubico.
The Scores:
SAN BEDA 91 – Andrada 20, Miller 18, Lina 15, Sajonia 13, Gonzales 4, Celzo 4, Reyes 4, Calimag 4, Etulle 3, Songcuya 3, Jamora 3, Estacio 0, Culdora 0, Bonzalida 0, Jalbuena 0
LYCEUM 67 – Barba 13, Villegas 11, Moralejo 8, Versoza 8, Daileg 7, Montaño 5, Peñafiel 5, Aviles 4, Abregana 3, Paulo 3, Casiño 0, Pallingayan 0, Matienzo 0, Aurigue 0, Gordon 0
Quarters: 17-10, 51-40, 73-51, 91-67
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