The San Beda Red Lions finally found their footing in the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament. The defending champions dispatched the Lyceum Pirates, 83-74, on Thursday to claim their first win of this season at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. The the win, San Beda moved to third in Group A at 1-1 while Lyceum dropped to fourth at 1-2.
The win carried extra weight for one specific reason: it marked Lyceum head coach Jamike Jarin’s first meeting with his former team since guiding San Beda to the NCAA championship in Season 92, a title run in 2016 that returned the Red Lions to the top of the league before Jarin eventually moved on to coach the Pirates.
San Beda Gives Former Coach Rude Welcome
San Beda made sure the reunion started painfully for its former coach. The Red Lions jumped out to an 11-2 start and kept firing from three, building their biggest first-half lead at 33-18 by the end of the opening quarter. Lyceum trimmed the gap to four at one point, but the backcourt pairing of Jimmy Reyes and Dan Marcelo kept San Beda in control heading into the break, 45-38. The Red Lions extended that cushion to 17 in the third quarter, 63-46, with under two minutes left in the period.
Lyceum’s night got worse from there. Point guard Renz Villegas was ejected with 9:02 left in the fourth quarter after being called for a disqualifying foul, caught kicking RC Calimag in the arm during a scramble for possession. San Beda weathered whatever comeback push Lyceum had left and cruised through the final frame to seal the win.
“It’s nice to get our first win. I think we played much better especially in the first quarter, we shot really well. That was big for us,” said head coach Yuri Escueta.
Red Lions Step Up Big
Marcelo led all scorers with 16 points and 6 rebounds. “It feels good to be on a winning track. Just coming into this game, I think we had more of an edge knowing that opening didn’t go how we wanted it to. So just responding on the court and how we responded in practice too, I think it’s a good win for us,” he said.
Lawrence Hawkins added a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Reyes chipped in 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jomel Puno, making his season debut after recovering from injury, scored 11 points on 75 percent shooting.
Matthew Rubico paced Lyceum with 15 points, five assists, and three rebounds, and Mclaude Guadaña added 14 points and six rebounds. Villegas still managed 12 points in 20 minutes despite his ejection.
The game itself was delayed roughly 20 minutes due to a court leak, the same issue that had earlier forced the postponement of San Beda’s game against the JRU Heavy Bombers. That rescheduled matchup is now set for Saturday, September 26, at 3:00 p.m., while Lyceum faces the Heavy Bombers on Tuesday, September 29, at 5:00 p.m.
