Letran Knights Aim for Third Straight Win Against San Beda

Letran hunts a third straight win. San Beda just wants its first.

Last season’s NCAA finalists step back into the spotlight on Thursday at the San Juan Arena, carrying very different storylines into a pivotal early double-header in Season 102.

Knights riding Walker wave

Letran has looked ruthless so far.

Two games, two convincing wins, and a new focal point in the attack: Denzil Walker.

Brought in as the “missing piece,” the former University of the Philippines wing has wasted no time proving his worth, dropping 21 points against Perpetual and following it up with 25 versus San Sebastian. Those numbers aren’t just padding the box score; they’re stabilizing a Knights squad forced to move on without key contributors Deo Cuajao and Jun Roque.

At 6-foot-4, Walker gives the Muralla-based side a versatile weapon who can score from multiple spots, absorb contact, and open up the floor for teammates. Around him, coach Allen Ricardo leans on the size and presence of Chad Gammad and the energy and shot-making of Titing Manalili to keep the Knights’ offense humming.

At 5 p.m., Letran faces Emilio Aguinaldo College, a matchup that, on paper, tilts heavily toward the unbeaten Knights. But that’s exactly why an impressive outing becomes non-negotiable. The Generals may be winless, but they’re not lifeless.

EAC is still stinging from a narrow 91-87 defeat to Arellano on Tuesday, a game that slipped away late. That kind of loss can either drain a team or sharpen it. The Generals are betting on the latter.

They will again turn to Jude Bagay’s playmaking, the backcourt craft of Kyle Ochavo, the hustle and scoring of MJ Raymundo, and the presence of Jacob Shanoda as they chase that elusive first victory. For a team staring at another long season if the skid continues, upsetting a rolling Letran side would change the mood in an instant.

The Knights know it. One lapse, one flat quarter, and a desperate opponent can suddenly look dangerous.

Red Lions chasing a reset

If Letran is trying to protect perfection, San Beda is trying to escape frustration.

The two-peat-seeking Red Lions, so often the league’s benchmark, have yet to taste victory this season. A setback against the College of Saint Benilde Blazers put them on the back foot early, and the stop-start rhythm of their campaign hasn’t helped.

Their scheduled game against Jose Rizal University was wiped out by heavy rains, robbing them of valuable court time and a chance to immediately respond to that opening stumble. Now, with a rare gap in their calendar behind them, they finally get another crack at it.

Standing in their way at 3 p.m. are the Lyceum Pirates, perennial spoilers who relish these kinds of tests.

For San Beda, this isn’t just about getting on the board in the win column. It’s about reasserting who they are in a season where the usual hierarchy already feels under question. A strong performance against Lyceum would steady the ship and restore some of the Red Lions’ familiar snarl.

For Lyceum, it’s an opportunity: catch the champions early, before they find their full rhythm, and send a message to the rest of the field.

Two finalists from last year. One pushing to stay perfect, the other scrambling to avoid an early crisis. By Thursday night, the NCAA landscape could look very different.