Game today (Ynares Gym)
4 p.m. – San Beda vs La Salle
MANILA, Philippines - La Salle and San Beda collide today in a slambang duel of teams with dominating reinforcements and local aces with the Archers gunning for their third title and the Red Lions seeking a breakthrough win in the National Collegiate Championship finals at the Ynares gym in Pasig City.
Led by Cameroonian rookie Ben Mbala, the Archers swept their way to the finals in four games while the Lions, backstopped by the tested Ola Adeogun, needed to edge Cebu’s University of San Carlos in the tiebreak to clinch the other championship berth.
Game One of the best-of-three series is set at 4 p.m. with Game Two set on Monday. A decider, if necessary, will be held Tuesday.
La Salle, which swept Southwestern U in two games last year, is out to join arch-rival Ateneo as a three-time winner of the annual league which gathers the country’s best collegiate teams.
“We’ll just come out there and give it our best to win,” said La Salle coach Juno Sauler.
San Beda, for its part, is trying to become the first NCAA team to rule the annual event dominated by teams from the UAAP.
“It’s all about pride,” said Adonis Tierra, San Beda’s acting coach.
Tierra said the playoff will largely depend on who between Mbala and San Beda’s Nigerian behemoth Ola Adeogun will dominate although the locals will also play a major role in their respective title bids.
“Ola himself admitted that he was outplayed by Mbala the last time we played,” said Tierra, whose charges fell to the Archers, 56-61, in an Elite Eight game last Friday.
“But he (Adeogun) promised to make up for it by playing hard in the championship,” he added.
Tierra has also stressed the need to neutralize Jeron Teng.
“Aside from Mbala, we also need to find ways to make it hard for Jeron Teng. If we could do that, we’ll have a chance.
Meanwhile, the all-Cebu battle for third place between USC and University of Visayas, originally scheduled as a curtain-raiser to the finals, will instead be played on Monday.