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| Janti Miller quickly put the NCAA on notice in his much-awaited debut. Glads Pillejera |
QUEZON CITY––San Beda sent a strong message this early in the NCAA as it crippled College of St. Benilde, 96-85, in their opening night showdown on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In a showdown between two teams tipped by many to give the Mapua Cardinals a run for their money in their title defense, the Red Lions bounced back defensively after letting the Blazers erupt for 30 points in the first quarter, holding them to a combined 31 points in the next two quarters while keeping their offense consistent all game long.
Bryan Sajonia put up 16 points, one rebound, one assist, and three steals for San Beda, which made an early jump to the top of Group B, tagged by many as the "group of death".
In his much-anticipated NCAA debut, Janti Miller also scored 16 points with six rebounds off the bench on a solid outing.
Justine Sanchez's explosive season opener with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting with two rebounds and three steals went down the drain as CSB, runner-up in two of the previous three seasons, took the fall in only its first game of the season.
Reigning MVP Allen Liwag struggled with a 4-of-13 field goal clip but still managed to complete a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds with four assists.
The scores:
SAN BEDA 96 – Sajonia 16, Miller 16, Reyes 13, Andrada 11, Etulle 9, Gonzales 8, Calimag 7, Celzo 6, Culdora 4, Bonzalida 4, Lina 2, Estacio 0
ST. BENILDE 85 – Sanchez 24, Torres 13, Liwag 12, Ancheta 8, Celis 6, Oli 6, Cometa 4, Cajucom 4, Moore 3, Morales 3, Gaspay 2, Umali 0, Eusebio 0, Daja 0
Quarterscores: 26-30, 48-45, 71-61, 96-85
