Letran, Benilde meet anew; San Beda, EAC eye sweet ending to first round

Colegio de San Juan de Letran and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde will face each other once again on the NCAA stage for the first time since the Knights won Game 3 of the Season 98 finals in December 2022.

The two squads will banner Sunday's double-header at 2:40 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

While this will be a rematch of last season's finalists, things are looking a little bit different for both squads.

Three-time defending champs Letran are currently at 1-7, coming off their first win against San Sebastian College-Recoletos last Wednesday. The rebuilding Intramuros-based squad will rely on holdovers such as Pao Javillonar and Kurt Reyson. The latter, however, missed last Wednesday's game due to a groin injury. 

After winning their first match this season, Letran coach Rensy Bajar said they are just taking things one step at a time.

"Ayun lang, we are just taking one step at a time at saka 'yung experience ng team namin sana maging buo, hindi kapos."

(We are just taking it one step at a time and I hope that the experience of the team will be whole.)

Benilde, on the other hand, is holding a 4-4 card heading into their final first round match. While its core from last season remains intact, Will Gozum and Miggy Corteza have yet to reach similar numbers from last season.

Before all this, San Beda University and Emilio Aguinaldo College, meanwhile, hope to end their first round campaigns on a high note as they go against each other at 12:20 p.m.

San Beda (6-2) is riding on a three-game winning streak while EAC (5-3) just came off a win against Benilde last Friday.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News