MANILA — Rookie sensation Jonathan Manalili delivered a poised and explosive fourth-quarter performance as Colegio de San Juan de Letran engineered a stunning comeback to defeat long-time rival San Beda University, 87-83, in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball preliminaries on Sunday at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Manalili, who has rapidly emerged as Letran’s late-season catalyst, posted a commanding double-double—26 points and 11 assists on 60 percent shooting—to carry the Knights from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to a momentum-shifting win heading into the next phase of the tournament. Kevin Santos provided steady support with 14 points and five rebounds.
San Beda appeared in full control for most of the first three quarters, opening with a 10-point burst from Agjanti Miller and later unleashing a 10-0 second-period run to secure a 49-46 halftime advantage. The Red Lions built their largest lead at 65-52 in the third, punctuated by two Miller free throws.
But the Knights responded with resilience, stringing together an 8-0 counterattack to knot the game at 70 entering the final frame. From there, Letran seized the tempo. Jun Roque pushed the Knights ahead, 82-77, with 3:26 remaining before Manalili calmly delivered two dagger baskets to make it 86-81 with 41 seconds left—enough to fend off San Beda’s last push behind Miller.
In the earlier game, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta snapped its three-game skid with a convincing 72-57 win over Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Mark Gojo Cruz paced the Altas with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, while John Abis, JB Boral, and JM Tulabut chipped in nine points apiece in a balanced offensive showing.
Perpetual raced to an early 8-0 start and held a 21-9 lead after the first quarter before maintaining a 37-27 cushion at the half. The advantage swelled to 70-47 following a Tulabut basket with 5:55 to go, effectively sealing the victory./PN
