Red Lions extends streak against EAC to 26, keeps solo second

In the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament, San Beda University continued its 13-year reign over Emilio Aguinaldo College, defeating the Generals 86-72 on Sunday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre to end the first round of season 99.

After their triumph, the Red Lions increased their perfect record against the Generals to 26-0 in the EAC’s brief NCAA existence.

With the victory, San Beda’s record improved to 7-2, which put them barely behind Mapua University for second place in the standings.

“It’s a good win, diba? Itong past games namin. But we still have one more round. Matagal pa to,” first-year Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta told the media.

In the first quarter, Ralph Robin gave San Beda a scare when he made three consecutive fast threes as EAC’s sharpshooting left-handed guard. Nevertheless, the Red Lions weathered Robin’s strong shooting, leading 24–20 going into the second frame.

The third quarter proved to be a turning point in the game as the Red Lions outscored EAC 28–14, securing a landslide victory. Despite a strong effort by the Generals to close the gap in the fourth quarter, San Beda maintained their lead and finished in second place, leading by at least 11 points at all times.

San Beda’s third-year forward Yukien Andrada was forced to exit the game at the 5:23 mark due to a leg injury sustained during a fastbreak attempt, which cost the team the victory.

Escueta said, “Hopefully, Yuk is okay, and we’ll keep grinding, improving in practice, and preparing for the second round, which I’m sure will be tougher,”