Lions roar, match old 3-peat feat

San Beda spoiled Jose Rizal U’s date with destiny with a masterful 82-65 victory in their sudden death yesterday, setting up a dynasty in the NCAA with a third straight championship before a record crowd at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Red Lions went to Nigerian Sam Ekwe in the early going then displayed their championship poise and experience to complete the three-peat while frustrating the Bombers bid to end a long title drought in a season full of twists and turns.

San Beda roared back from a mediocre performance in Game Two with a superb all-around game in the do-or-die, seizing control early, dominating the middle quarters before thwarting the Bombers’ repeated rallies with clutch baskets the Bombers couldn’t match in the end.

The Lions thus matched the three-peat feat churned out by the San Beda team of the 1934-1936 era while securing their 14th crown overall, two behind the Letran Knights, who had 16.

“It all boiled down to execution. We started strong, we executed well especially in our offense and that did us some wonders,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who hugged his family at center court after clinching his second straight title as coach.

“I told the guys not to be heroes but to play as a team and win this game as a team for our beloved school,” he said.

The 6-9 Ekwe closed out his three-year stint in the league the way he started it – with a bang – as he finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds, three shot blocks, two assists and a steal to power the Lions before a record crowd of 20,360.

“Ekwe is great. He’s the MVP of the Finals, MVP of the season. You’ve got to give it to him, he’s been working hard,” said Lim of his prized slotman.

“We’ve got our highs and lows but you know at least he now understands the importance of staying in the post. He gets a lot of opportunities there,” said Lim.

Like Ekwe, pro-bound Pong Escobal played true to form and made 11 points and nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

“It can’t get any sweeter than this. I mean, to overcome the odds this year because of all the doubts, the ups and downs during the season. The harder, the sweeter,” said Escobal, who starts training with the Talk n Text team tomorrow.

The sudden death also produced a lot of heroes.

Last year’s Finals MVP Ogie Menor, rookie Jake Pascual and Borgie Hermida chipped in 18, 13 and 10 points, respectively, for San Beda to complete a 2-1 series win over a Jose Rizal squad that gave it all but still came out short.

After forcing the playoff with a 62-60 win in Game Two, the Bombers struggled in the face of the Lions’ run-and-gun game and played catch-up the rest of the way.

San Beda led by as many as 17 points, 35-18, in a rip-roaring start spearhead by Ekwe.

James Sena rallied the Mandaluyong-based squad at the turn, 29-38, behind an 11-3 run capped by a booming triple by Jason Nocom.

But the Red Lions, wearing white shirts with Lim’s No. 13 printed at the back, came out smoking at the break.