MANILA – John Bryan Sajonia converted a go-ahead triple as San Beda University Red Lions scored a 66-64 victory over Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.
Down 63-64 with under a minute remaining, Sajonia knocked down a three-pointer from way outside to give the Red Lions a 66-64 advantage with 42 seconds left in the contest.
Following misses from both sides, the Knights still had a chance to snatch the victory but Deo Cuajao missed his three-point attempt badly while Kevin Santos failed to collar the offensive rebound.
The Pavia, Iloilo-native Sajonia finished with eight points, on a poor 3-of-12 field goal shooting, to go with five rebounds and two assists as the defending champions Red Lions improved to a 4-3 win-loss slate.
“Bryan has been working on that shots every day, early in our practices, so we are confident that he can made that (game-winning shot),” Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta said.
Jomel Puno led the way for the Red Lions with a career-high of 22 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Daniel Celso, Menard Songcuya, and Yukien Andrada ended with eight points apiece.
Santos recorded a career-high of 18 points to go with nine rebounds, while Johnsherick Estrada and Cuajao ended with 16 and 12 markers, respectively, as the Knights dropped to a 5-3 mark.
In the first game, Jhomel Ancheta had a triumphant return for College of St. Benilde Blazers (6-1) as they defeated San Sebastian College Golden Stags (2-6) in overtime, 96-94.
With the score tied at 94-all, Ancheta attacked the middle, eluded two Golden Stags’ defenders, before pulling off a tough basket to give the Blazers a 96-94 lead with 3.3 seconds in the game.
Ancheta, who made his return from a one-game suspension, finished with five points, three assists, and one rebound in 10 minutes of action for the Blazers, while Winston Ynot and Allen Liwag added 23 and 17, respectively./PN
