Two games. Two nail-biters. Two clutch finishes.
On Friday, Jimboy Estrada’s fadeaway jumper lifted the Letran Knights past winless San Sebastian Golden Stags, 91-89, and Zedjay Etulle’s free throws helped the San Beda Red Lions hold off the JRU Heavy Bombers, 75-71, as the second round of the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament group phase got underway at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. The wins keep Letran atop Group B at 7-3 and send San Beda to 7-3 and a share of the Group A lead.
Letran Survives Golden Stags, 91-89
Estrada didn’t need much room. With the game tied at 89-all, he posted up John Ynot and pulled up for the fadeaway that gave the Knights the lead. Ynot’s Hail Mary missed, and Letran escaped.
It looked like a rout early, though. The Knights jumped to a 17-point lead, 35-18, in the second quarter, but San Sebastian roared back to take a 63-58 lead in the third. Christian Ricio put the Golden Stags up, 87-86, with under a minute left, and Aaron Buensalida answered. After a flurry of turnovers and a split at the line by Nathan Montecillo, Neil Castor tied it before Estrada’s shot.
“I needed to go to my key player. Kumbaga, pinapractice naman namin ‘yon,” said Letran coach Allen Ricardo. “No doubt, no’ng nakita ko na gano’n ‘yong defense nila, magbe-breakdown yung defense nila kay Estrada.”
Chad Gammad led the Knights with 23 points, while Buensalida added 21 points and 6 rebounds. Froilan Reyes had 13, and Estrada finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Kent Bacani paced San Sebastian with 24 points, and Ynot had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Golden Stags dropped to 0-10 and have now lost 14 straight dating back to last season.
Letran faces the Arellano Chiefs on Thursday, October 29, in a showdown of the Group B leaders. San Sebastian takes on the EAC Generals two days earlier.
San Beda Holds Off JRU, 75-71
San Beda completed an elimination-round sweep of the Heavy Bombers, but it wasn’t easy. The Red Lions led by 21 entering the fourth quarter before JRU mounted a furious 25-4 run. Sean Salvador’s line-drive three-pointer with 1:27 left tied it at 71-all.
That’s when Etulle stepped up. He sank two free throws with 30 seconds left to put San Beda back in front, and after Allan Laurenaria’s inside miss, he made two more to seal it. “Nerves of steel. This is good for Zed’s confidence,” said Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta.
JRU did it shorthanded. Lawrence Mangubat missed the game with a right shoulder injury, and Chris Hubilla went down early after banging knees with Jomel Puno. San Beda also lost graduating guard Jimmy Reyes in a collision with JC Bonzalida during the rally. “We want to win convincingly, but that is hard to do in the NCAA,” said Escueta.
Aldous Torculas had 15 points and eight rebounds for San Beda, with Bismarck Lina (14), Dan Marcelo (13), and Kyle Jamora (12) also scoring in double figures. Salvador led JRU with 19 points, and Jalen Garcia had 14.
San Beda improved to 7-3, matching JRU’s record but holding the quotient edge after also winning their first-round meeting, 65-62, on September 26. The Red Lions are half a game ahead of idle Benilde Blazers and Mapúa Cardinals. They face the red-hot Cardinals on Thursday, October 29, at 3 p.m., while JRU meets the Lyceum Pirates on Tuesday, October 27.
