MANILA – San Beda outgunned, outplayed and demolished San Sebastian to pieces, gaining the 86th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball crown following a grueling match at the Araneta Coliseum Friday.
The Red Lions sent the Stags to oblivion after 40 minutes of intense Game 2, 85-70, converting baskets and trampled upon their opponents in almost every possession.
“It can’t be any better. The guys deserved it. They seriously work hard in practice and they really showed alot of heart and composure inside the court,” said fifth year coach Frankie Lim.
Lim already delivered four titles to San Beda except last year when they were incidentally swept by San Sebastian.
The Lions dominated all corners, hauling 34 rebounds as opposed to the Stags’ 20, had a 36-percent clip from the outside and sank 71 percent (24 out of 34) from the charity paint, a statistical marvel fit for the school’s culmination of an 18-game sweep this season.
“We are hungry for this win and I’m very happy also for Borgie (Hermida), who architected a sweep on his 16th and last year,” said Lim.
Organizers said 13,011 fans trooped to the Big Dome to witness history unfolds, eclipsing the feat made by San Sebastian in 1996 when Rommel Adducul and Banjo Calpito nailed the school’s fourth an unprecedented five-peat in 1996.
“I told the boys to match the intensity of San Sebastian because I know that they will try to bounce back. I told them to control the game early and just do their thing inside the court,” said Lim.
Sudan Daniel capped his second year winning the Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP awards as he finished with a monster performance: 24 points, 19 rebounds and five shot blocks in 29 minutes of play. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)