MANILA, Philippines – San Beda leaned on a dominant fourth quarter to thwart Arellano, 67-54, in the 89th NCAA men's basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan Thursday.
Ola Adeogun dominated the paint to the tune of 18 points and 16 boards while Baser Amer keyed a crucial run in the fourth quarter to power the Red Lions to their second win.
"Hopefully, this win we'll wake us up and make us believe that if we play the way we want to, we are a strong team," said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.
"Huge credit to Ola despite playing below his standard in the first two games. He always practices hard and comes early to work on his game. Baser will always be there for us for the stability of the team," he added.
With the game still hanging in the balance after a James Forrester breakaway layup, Arellano cut San Beda’s lead early in the fourth, 47-49. But Amer took the cudgels in the payoff period.
The third year guard scored eight straight points and Art Dela Cruz added two free throws for a 10-0 run to give the Lions a 59-47 upperhand with 3:36 left.
San Beda continued its pressure and had their biggest advantage, 66-49, after Ryusei Koga hit a triple to at the 2:04 mark.
The Red Lions dominated the rebounding department with a 54-33 advantage.
San Beda improved to 2-1 while Arellano dropped to 1-2.