The Numbers Behind the Win: Red Lions Beat Knights in Finals Rematch

Barely a day after their disappointing act against the reigning UAAP champions, the San Beda Red Lions geared up in their first Finals rematch against their archrivals and reigning NCAA champions, the Letran Knights. And keep in mind that the top 2 finishers in the ongoing UAAP-NCAA Challenge of the PCCL will be the ones who will move on to the Final 4 of the tournament, the Red Lions knew that losing wasn't an option especially against the same team that denied them a chance to complete what could have been a perfect season in Season 95 of the NCAA.

And true enough, the Red Lions used a big second half to blow the game open and that second-half outburst was more than enough for the Boyet Fernandez-coached side to come up with a 76-53 victory over the Letran Knights which also marked the second straight time that Letran lost by a big margin in the UAAP-NCAA Challenge. So, how did San Beda did beat the Knights?

More Points from Oftana and Company

In their game against Ateneo yesterday, Calvin Oftana, the reigning MVP in the NCAA, was limited to 11 points. Today against their bitter rivals, Oftana already had 11 points at the halftime break. He finished with 17 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks for another all-around game for the MVP. He shot 6 for 13 from the field which was a big improvement from how he shot against Ateneo. He missed all of his 4 attempts from three-point distance though. And he wasn't the only one who stepped up today.

Ralph Penuela scored 16 points to follow the lead of Oftana. He also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in 24 minutes of action off the bench. He made 2 of his attempts from deep too. Pedro Alfaro, another guy who came off the bench for Coach Boyet Fernandez, added 12 points and 3 boards under his name. All in all, the bench of San Beda outscored their Letran counterparts, 39-33. That's a huge improvement from their 19-point outing against the Blue Eagles.

San Beda Practically Did Everything Right 

The mere fact that Letran's biggest lead of the game was a single point means that San Beda really meant business and by business, it meant doing everything right. And you know what? That exactly what happened today. 

The Red Lions shot 44% from the field compared to Letran's 25%. The red and white side shot 55% and 24% from the two-point area and the three-point line respectively while the Knights could only master shooting 30% and 19% respectively. From the free-throw line? The Lions made 7 for 15 from the line yesterday. They improved on it today by going 10 for 16 against the Knights. 

San Beda is +9 on assists, +6 on steals, +12 on points in the paint, and a whopping +17 on fast-break points. Clearly, San Beda wanted to beat Letran. Badly.

Photo is from the Facebook page of the PCCL