MANILA, Philippines – Make it 11 consecutive Finals appearances for the consistently excellent San Beda College Red Lions.
Forced to play a do-or-die game by the gutsy University of Perpetual Help Altas, the Red Lions came through with a tremendous defensive effort en route to a 78-63 victory in their winner-take-all showdown on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
San Beda advanced to the Finals for the 11th consecutive season, setting up a best-of-three showdown against Arellano University starting on Thursday.
Perpetual Help torched San Beda when they first played in the Final Four last Friday, shooting 60% from the field en route to an 87-83 victory to force a deciding game.
But the Red Lions made all the right adjustments for Tuesday's game, and as a result, they limited the Altas to only 29.87% shooting from the field.
"We wanted to get into the Finals earlier, and at least get a chance to rest," San Beda coach Jamike Jarin said after the game. "We were hoping that the series between Mapua and Arellano would have extended, but it turned out, it was the other way around."
The Altas led by as much as nine points early in the second quarter after Prince Eze's slam dunk made it 26-17, but the Red Lions responded with 10 unanswered points – eight from Robert Bolick – to seize the advantage, 27-26.
Lay-ups from Jeffrey Coronel and Gab Dagangon handed Perpetual back the lead, 30-27, but it would be the last time that the Altas would be in control of the ball game as the Red Lions ended the second frame with yet another 10-0 run.
"When you start a program, it's the Xs and the Os," Jarin said of the adjustments that they made. "When you come into the playoffs, it's the Ys and the Zs."
Using their press to frustrate the Perpetual Help ball handlers and then a zone to throw off big man Bright Akhuetie and the Altas' shooters, San Beda took full control of the contest in the third quarter, building a double-digit lead.
Calvin Oftana came off the bench to give San Beda a huge spark, as his steal and slam dunk in transition made it 47-38 with 3:43 left in the frame.
The time is NOW for Davon Potts.#NCAASeason92 pic.twitter.com/iz0zQBLWkz
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) October 4, 2016
The fourth quarter then turned into the Davon Potts Show as the Fil-Am transferee torched the Altas from the perimeter. Perpetual Help appeared to throw in the towel by the two-minute mark when they trailed 57-75, as Dagangon and Eze were subbed out of the game. Akhuetie, ineffective all game long, was yanked out at the 6:48 mark of the fourth and never returned.
"We were frustrated (in the first game)," said Jarin. "I was frustrated, and it rubbed off sa mga players, and I take full responsibility for that."
After a sterling offensive performance in Game 1 of the Final Four, the Altas could not buy a basket this time around. Dagangon finished with 16 points but needed 16 shots to get there. Akhuetie was frustrated all game long, managing only eight points though he did grab 10 boards.
This marks the fourth time in the past five years that San Beda has ended Perpetual Help's season. The Red Lions also ousted the Altas in 2012, 2013 and 2014, before the Altas missed out on the Final Four last season.
The scores:
SAN BEDA 78 – Potts 16, Bolick 14, Mocon 12, Soberano 9, Noah 7, Adamos 7, Sara 6, Oftana 4, Presbitero 2, Bahio 1, Tongco 0, Alas 0, Bonsubre 0, Carlos 0, Navarro 0
PERPETUAL 63 – Dagangon 16, Singontiko 11, Akhuetie 8, Eze 6, Sadiwa 6, Ylagan 5, Coronel 3, Hao 3, Dizon 3, Pido 2, Gallardo 0, Yuhico 0, Mangalino 0
Quarter scores: 15-20, 37-30, 56-39, 78-63
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