Evan Nelle and Ain Obenza found their range in the fourth period and carried the San Beda Red Cubs to an 83-80 triumph over the Lyceum Junior Pirates on Thursday at the Arena in San Juan.
Nelle delivered 20 points to lead the Red Cubs to 13th win in 18 matches at the end of the elimination round of the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association junior basketball tournament.
Obenza contributed one of his best outputs of 19 points in helping the Red Cubs grab the no. 1 seeding in the Final Four semifinals.
The Red Cubs shared the same record with defending champion Malayan Red Robins at 13-5.
Because the Red Cubs have a better tiebreak record, the Red Robins slipped to no. 2.
The Junior Pirates, with Mclaude Guadana firing 18 points, stayed until the last 3:34 off his inside play, 68-71.
Then Nelle strung up six crucial points in the last 52 seconds, and this included a triple in the remaining 1:08 that gave the Red Cubs a 78-70 cushion.
“Maalat. Nung umpisa, hindi ako maka-shoot. Kaya pinasa-pasa ko na lang. Pero kailangan ko na ring mag-connect,” said Nelle.
The Junior Pirates were not done yet. They managed to threatened anew off John Barba’s two charities, 77-81, but freebies from Obenza kept the Red Cubs out of range, 83-77 with eight ticks left.
“Nelle was missing some shots in the first half. Buti na lang, nag-connect siya sa dulo,” said Red Cubs coach JB Sison.
The Junior Pirates ended their campaign with an 8-10 card.
