By MARK REY MONTEJO
Yukien Andrada saved the best for last, coming through with long bombs as San Beda downed Mapua, 76-66, to bag its first title in four years in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 17.
Andrada, who finished with 20 points, fired five three-pointers in the second half of the do-or-die Game 3 that was witnessed by a crowd of 23,007, with the sea of fans in red shirts rejoicing and roaring at the buzzer as the Lions reclaimed the title for their 23rd crown overall.
The Cardinals actually had a strong showing in the third quarter behind the efforts of Kobe Dalisay, Ryle Rosillo and JC Recto, but James Payosing and Cliff Jopia keyed San Beda’s fourth-quarter stand to complement Andrada’s fiery shooting display.
Payosing posted a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds while Nygel Gonzales chipped in 10. Jacob Cortez had a quiet eight points while Aaron Royo and Jopia had six points apiece.
For his series-long brilliance, Payosing was named the Finals Most Valuable Player while Yuri
Escueta claimed the Coach of the Year plum.
“Yung team na ‘to grabe ‘yong napagdaanan kita nyo naman no’ng second round palang, but yung mga players talagang gusto nilang lumaban (This team faced several challenges and it was evident in the second round, but the players showed determination and fought hard until the end),” Escueta said.
The Cardinals were down by nine in the second frame but managed to climb back, thanks to Rosillo and Recto who led a 15-7 run that trimmed the deficit to just one, 35-36, going into the break.
Then came Andrada, who took over with big hits in the fourth quarter to completely hold off Mapua’s last-ditch efforts.
Rookie of the Year and Season MVP Clint Escamis finished with 13 points, but he was badly missed in the second half after only scoring three. Recto chalked up with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Rosillo had 10 in a losing cause.
It was the first championship for Escueta, who previously handled San Beda’s juniors program in the past few years.
