SAN BEDA returned to its winning ways after an 81-64 beatdown of Emilio Aguinaldo College in Group B action of the NCAA Season 101 at the Playtime Filoil Centre on Tuesday.
Fresh off being upset by the Heavy Bombers, 67-66, over the weekend - the Red Lions vented their ire on the hapless Generals in the wire-to-wire win where they took an early 11-point lead in the first quarter before leading by as many as 23 in the win.
The Red Lions welcomed back team captain Yukien Andrada, but even as he struggled with his shot early on, there was no resistance on the Generals' end with Janti Miiller being on the forefront of a balanced San Beda attack with 14 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, the Red Lions now share the top spot of Group B with the St. Benilde Blazers at 3-1.
Vengeful Red Lions
After that stinger against JRU, a lot of heads were down in the San Beda dugout, but with the veterans' guidance, the Red Lions were quick to leave that loss behind.
“That was a tough loss. Team morale was really down for a whole week, but shout out to our vets. They kept us together and had us ready to come out here and win this game,” Miller said, while giving credit to the returning Andrada for steadying the ship.
“I always say Yuki needs to be on the floor at all times. Missing him for the past few days, especially against the JRU game, I feel like we would have won that game," he added.
“Yuki might not be on the floor, but he's always involved. Like on the bench, he's always telling us what to do. He’s like our second coach.“
San Beda’s forwards also proved instrumental in controlling the boards, which proved to be the ultimate nullifier against EAC.
Jomel Puno had an efficient 12 points and six rebounds in his first start of the season, while Zed Etulle once again provided well-needed floor spacing with 11 points, including two triples and seven boards.
Nygel Gonzales also provided steady offense with his 10 points and four assists to round off the Lions in double-figure scoring.
No player breached double digits for the Generals with Wilmar Oftana and Nico Quinal scoring nine-apiece for the now 1-3 Generals.
The scores:
SBU 81 - Miller 14, Puno 12, Etulle 11, Gonzales 10, Andrada 9, Reyes 7, Sajonia 5, Estacio 5, Lina 5, Calimag 3, Celzo 0, Vailoces 0, Songcuya 0
EAC 64 - Oftana 9, Quinal 9, Bagay 8, Omandac 7, Angeles 7, Castillo 6, Tolentino 6, Postanes 5, Ochavo 2, Shanoda 2, Doria 2, Loristo 1, Devara 0, Villarente 0, Dominguez
Quarters: 21-14, 45-28, 65-46, 81-64
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
