By James Ajero

San Beda University drew first blood in their best-of-three championship series against Colegio de San Juan de Letran, recording an 89-70 victory in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 101 Men’s Basketball Finals on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Red Lions roared early with a 29-point production in the first canto against the Knights' 19 markers in the same period.

With Letran gaining momentum in the second quarter after slashing down San Beda's lead to just three points, 46-43, a John Sajonia-led offense completely squashed Letran in the third period as the Red Lions collected 22 points to their counterparts' five markers.

Down by 18 points with 8:00 minutes remaining in the game, 70-52, a split free throw and a lay-up from Jonathan Manalili gave Letran a semblance of resistance against an increasingly dominant San Beda.

Though the Knights' fate took a positive turning point when Agjanti Miller was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter, 75-58, San Beda's Daniel Celso and Jimuel Reyes paced the Red Lions as the Mendiola team claimed their first victory in the series.

—JMS, Alta Sports