MANILA, Philippines — Meet San Beda’s “Bandana Boys.”
James Canlas and Evan Nelle continued to introduce themselves as the new king Lions, coming through big anew to propel San Beda to an 89-72 demolition of Emilio Aguinaldo College and back to the top in the 95th NCAA basketball tournament at the EAC Gym in Manila yesterday.
The dazzling backcourt pair both had season-high outputs with Canlas firing 21 and Nelle scattering 15 as they lifted the Lions, the reigning three-peat champions, to their third straight victory.
It was another dominating performance for San Beda as it has now blown away three foes with an average margin of 17.33 points.
And the Canlas-Nelle duo played a big part, underscoring their readiness to take over from former San Beda leaders and now PBA players Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon.
“It’s their time now, and they’re making the most out of it,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.
In the juniors’ play, San Beda smashed EAC, 94-70.