NCAA S101 FINALS | SAN BEDA WINS GAME 1

The San Beda Red Lions are now one win away from reclaiming the NCAA title they lost to the Mapua Cardinals in Season 100. San Beda opened the game with a 12–5 lead, survived stretches where their momentum dipped, and then unleashed a massive third-quarter surge that buried the Letran Knights by as many as 20 points.

The result: an emphatic 89–70 victory. Letran came out flat while San Beda held firm—and at times, completely dominated.

But while San Beda’s win felt destined, Letran’s loss felt avoidable.

Fans were stunned when Letran started Aaron Buensalida, Luiz Tapenio, Peter Rosilio, Alexandrei Gazzingan, and Elijah Yusi. Buensalida is part of the regular rotation, sure—but seeing the other four on the floor together to open a Finals game left many scratching their heads. Maybe head coach Allen Ricardo simply wanted to reward his reserves with NCAA Finals minutes. But in a short series, he could’ve easily given those guys cameo roles instead of fielding them all at once.

Before Game 1, Buensalida averaged 6.74 PPG. The combined averages of the other four? Just 5.59. Gazzingan contributed 0.88 PPG, and Yusi hadn’t scored all season until Game 1. This is why Ricardo’s move looked “cocky” to some observers. After all, San Beda had been vocal about Letran having an “all-star lineup”—so suddenly throwing out a third-stringer-heavy starting five almost felt like a mind game gone wrong.

Making matters worse for the Knights, San Beda’s magic bunot trio of Penny Estacio, RC Calimag, and Jimmy Reyes erupted for 23 points off the bench. Meanwhile, Letran’s main core—Jimboy Estrada, Jun Roque, Deo Cuajao, Mark Denver Omega, and Kevin Santos—shot a combined 14-of-49.

If Letran can take anything positive from the loss, it’s that they managed to get under Janti Miller’s skin. With 6:14 left in the fourth, an off-ball action triggered a technical foul on Miller. This is Miller's second technical this season. The call shocked the crowd—and its impact was huge: it earned San Beda’s top gun an automatic suspension, giving Letran a much better chance of pushing the series to a decider on December 16.

The last time Miller logged a DNP, Benilde stole Game 2 of their semifinal series. And Letran’s roster carries just as much firepower as Benilde’s, meaning San Beda could be staring at another down-to-the-wire Game 3—one that might not end in their favor.

Then again, San Beda almost won that Miller-less Benilde game, and if they play their cards right on Saturday, they could still close this out.

Especially if Letran decides to experiment again—and ends up with the same result.