Red Lions out to stop Knights, force Game 3

MANILA, Philippines - Expect San Beda to come up with key adjustments as it tries to stop Letran and keep its drive for a record sixth straight championship alive in tomorrow’s Game Two of the NCAA men’s basketball finals at the MOA Arena.

Coach Jamike Jarin took the blame for the Red Lions’ 90-94 defeat in the best-of-three series opener last Friday but vowed to bounce back strong and force a sudden death.

“I didn’t coach well in all aspects and I failed to prepare them (Lions) against the Knights,” said Jarin. “The good thing about it is that we still have a Game Two to get back and you can expect us to give it all to do that.”

Letran coach Aldin Ayo, however, vows to spring more surprises and the Knights to likewise come into the match in attack mode as they try to finish off their archrivals and end a decade-long thirst for a championship.

Game Two is set at 4 p.m. with the decider, if necessary, to be played on Thursday.

“You have to give credit to Letran for the way they defended us, especially Arthur (dela Cruz) and Baser (Amer),” said Jarin.

Amer struggled in the face of the Knights’ pesky defense and missed seven of his 10 shots for an eight-point output while Dela Cruz, San Beda’s top gun who finished second in the MVP derby won by Allwell Oraeme of Mapua, was held to just seven markers.

The Lions also need to execute their plays well after turning the ball over 29 times in Game One which the Knights translated into 25 points.

“We had too many turnovers. We had our chances but we weren’t able to execute. We need to take care of the ball and I need to coach better,” said Jarin.

Despite the loss, the San Beda mentor remained hopeful of their chances, confident that his wards will rise to the challenge.