# NCAA Season 78 basketball tournaments

The basketball tournaments of National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) 78th season hosted by San Beda College began on June 29, 2002 at the Araneta Coliseum with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain as the special guest, followed by the opening ceremonies, a ceremonial toss together with NCAA Policy Board president Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB, and a quadruple-header. Games then are subsequently held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

## Seniors' tournament
### Teams

| Team | College | Coach |
| Letran Knights | Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) | Louie Alas |
| Benilde Blazers | De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (CSB) | Dong Vergeire |
| JRU Heavy Bombers | José Rizal University (JRU) | Boy de Vera |
| Mapúa Cardinals | Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT) | Horacio Lim |
| PCU Dolphins | Philippine Christian University (PCU) | Jimmy Mariano |
| San Beda Red Lions | San Beda College (SBC) | Jonathan Reyes |
| San Sebastian Stags | San Sebastian College – Recoletos (SSC-R) | Turo Valenzona |
| Perpetual Altas | University of Perpetual Help DALTA System (UPHDS) | Bai Cristobal |

### Elimination round
#### Team standing

| Pos | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
| 1 | San Sebastian Stags | 11 | 3 | .786 | — | Twice-to-beat in the semifinals |
| 2 | Benilde Blazers | 10 | 4 | .714 | 1 | Twice-to-beat in the semifinals |
| 3 | PCU Dolphins | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2 | Twice-to-win in the semifinals |
| 4 | JRU Heavy Bombers | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2 | Twice-to-win in the semifinals |
| 5 | Mapúa Cardinals | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4 | |
| 6 | Letran Knights | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4 | |
| 7 | San Beda Red Lions (H) | 2 | 12 | .143 | 9 | |
| 8 | Perpetual Altas | 1 | 13 | .071 | 10 | |
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: PCU 1-1 JRU (PCU +5)
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Mapúa 1-1 Letran (Mapúa +6)

#### Match-up results

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| Team ╲ Game | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Letran | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Benilde | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| JRU | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mapúa | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| PCU | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Beda | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Sebastian | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Perpetual | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Scores

Results on top and to the right of the dashes are for first-round games; those to the bottom and to the left of it are second-round games.
| Teams | CSJL | CSB | JRU | MIT | PCU | SBC | SSC-R | UPHR |
| Letran Knights | — | 75–88 | 96–100* | 76–73 | 56–67 | 69–64 | 62–72 | 76–68 |
| Benilde Blazers | 80–85 | — | 82–67 | 64–40 | 72–80 | 75–73 | 74–72 | 82–50 |
| JRU Heavy Bombers | 80–76 | 81–79 | — | 84–75 | 77–85 | 82–80 | 75–83 | 84–76 |
| Mapúa Cardinals | 80–71 | 0–20 | 74–81 | — | 74–68 | 84–68 | 52–65 | 73–32 |
| PCU Dolphins | 73–83* | 77–83 | 91–94 | 88–84 | — | 88–69 | 72–69 | 69–63 |
| San Beda Red Lions | 54–67 | 78–85 | 84–88 | 68–88 | 20–0 | — | 72–90 | 77–79* |
| San Sebastian Stags | 74–59 | 70–67 | 101–82 | 87–82 | 65–72 | 85–98 | — | 87–85 |
| Perpetual Altas | 64–70 | 60–70 | 79–88 | 64–77 | 70–72 | 101–115* | 74–84 | — |
* ↑ Benilde was leading 65–60 when Mapua walked out of the game due to confusion in regards to technical fouls. Benilde player Magpayo was called for an unsportsmanlike foul, his fifth foul that led to his disqualification. Then, he confronted Mapua player Edsel Feliciano. Both players were then called for technical fouls. The referees then canceled Magpayo's technical foul after learning of his disqualification, which led to Mapua walking out of the game, as they questioned the penalty they got from Magpayo's actions after his disqualification. Benilde were then awarded a 20–0 forfeit win.
* ↑ San Beda was leading 79–60 when a brawl resulted in ejections of all but two PCU players, and all but five San Beda players. PCU decided not to continue the game any longer, and San Beda were awarded a 20–0 forfeit win.

### Bracket

| Semifinals (Nos. 1 & 2 have twice-to-beat advantage) | Semifinals (Nos. 1 & 2 have twice-to-beat advantage) | Semifinals (Nos. 1 & 2 have twice-to-beat advantage) | Semifinals (Nos. 1 & 2 have twice-to-beat advantage) | Finals (Best-of-three series) | Finals (Best-of-three series) | Finals (Best-of-three series) | Finals (Best-of-three series) |
| 1 | San Sebastian | San Sebastian | 102* | | | | |
| 4 | JRU | JRU | 96 | |
| 4 | JRU | JRU | 96 | 1 | San Sebastian | 79 | 86 |
| | | | | 2 | Benilde | 78 | 69 |
| 2 | Benilde | 93 | 106 | 2 | Benilde | 78 | 69 |
| 3 | PCU | 95* | 87 | |
Number of asterisks (*) denotes the number of overtime periods.

### Semifinals

San Sebastian and Benilde have the twice-to-beat advantage. They only have to win once, while their opponents, twice, to progress.

#### (1) San Sebastian vs. (4) JRU

* Studio 23
* September 11 2:00 p.m.
| San Sebastian Stags | JRU Heavy Bombers |
| Scoring by quarter: 23-14, 24-27, 22-24, 16-20, Overtime: 17-11 |||
| Pts: Nurjamjam Alfad 23 Rebs: Alfad, Moore 10 each Asts: Najorda, Falcasantos 5 each | Pts: Joel Finuliar 23 Rebs: Joel Finuliar 10 Asts: Wynsjohn Te 8 |
| San Sebastian wins series in one game |||
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
It was a nip-and-tuck affair all game until JRU's Edward Attunga converted two free throws to give his team its first lead of the game, 85–84, with 59 seconds left. San Sebastian's Redentor Vicente was fouled on a drive, but split his charities to tie the game at 85-all with 22 seconds remaining in the final period. JRU's Wynsjohn Te had a chance to win the game but missed a difficult lay-up, sending the game into overtime. Defending champs San Sebastian's trifecta of Redentor Vicente, Clark Moore, and Michael Gonzales needed an extra five minutes to beat the Heavy Bombers and advance to the Finals.

#### (2) Benilde vs. (3) PCU

* Studio 23
* September 11 4:00 p.m.
| Benilde Blazers | 93–95 (OT) | PCU Dolphins |
| Scoring by quarter: 15-26, 18-20, 19-19, 27-14, Overtime: 14-16 |||
| Pts: Jay Sagad 26 Rebs: Salvacion, Magpayo 8 each | | Pts: Jojo Roque 20 Rebs: Leo Gaspi 7 |
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
* Studio 23
* September 13 4:00 p.m.
| Benilde Blazers | PCU Dolphins |
| Scoring by quarter: 34-22, 23-24, 23 -18, 26-23 |||
| Pts: Sunday Salvacion 34 | Pts: Bernzon Franco 28 |
| CSB wins series in two games |||
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
It was PCU's game throughout the first half of Game 1 when they saw their main big man Bernzon Franco sidelined with an ankle sprain. But PCU maintained its composure to control the distance until CSB's Jay Sagad, Sunday Salvacion, and Elvis Tolentino force a comeback to send the game into overtime. Franco returned to the game, but PCU's treys decided the final outcome and forces the Blazers to a knockout game.
PCU tried its best to close the gap in Game 2, but the Blazers maintained its double-digit distance all throughout the game thanks to their stars, Jay Sagad and Sunday Salvacion. Salvacion finished with 34 points, including four triples and a dunk with four minutes remaining, sending the CSB gallery into a frenzy.

### Finals

This is a rematch of the 2000 Finals, which the Blazers won after sweeping the Stags en route to their first championship.
* Studio 23
* September 18 4:00 p.m.
| San Sebastian Stags | 79–78 | Benilde Blazers |
| Scoring by quarter: 14-24, 27-16, 19 -18, 19-20 |||
| Pts: Leomar Najorda 23 Rebs: Leomar Najorda 13 Asts: Christian Coronel 6 | | Pts: Sunday Salvacion 28 Rebs: Sunday Salvacion 14 Asts: Magpayo, Castro 5 |
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
* Studio 23
* September 20 4:00 p.m.
| San Sebastian Stags | Benilde Blazers |
| Scoring by quarter: 22-17, 21-15, 18-25, 25-12 |||
| Pts: Pep Moore 21 Rebs: Leo Najorda 11 Asts: Michael Gonzales 10 | Pts: Sunday Salvacion 21 Rebs: Al Magpayo 10 Asts: Jan Coching 4 |
| San Sebastian wins series, 2–0 |||
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
* Finals Most Valuable Player: Leomar Najorda (San Sebastian Stags)
The Stags were down by as many as 11 points in the first half of Game 1, thanks to the hot-shooting of Sunday Salvacion and the inside presence of Al Magpayo and Ronald Capati. But Stags veteran Christian Coronel took over and made his two free throws in the last two seconds after he was hacked by CSB's Elvis Tolentino to lead his team closer to the championship.
The Stags did not let CSB to take over as they pummeled the Blazers right from the start of Game 2, even held them scoreless for almost eight minutes into the final period, thus claiming their second consecutive championship and eleventh title overall. Leomar Najorda was named Finals MVP.

### Awards

* NCAA Season 78 men's basketball champions
* San Sebastian Stags 11th title, second consecutive title
* Most Valuable Player: Sunday Salvacion (Benilde Blazers)
* Rookie of the Year: Jerome Paterno (San Beda Red Lions)
* Mythical Five:
** Leomar Najorda (San Sebastian Stags)
** Sunday Salvacion (Benilde Blazers)
** Arjun Cordero (San Beda Red Lions)
** Marco Polo Fajardo (JRU Heavy Bombers)
** Bernzon Franco (PCU Dolphins)
* Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Finuliar (JRU Heavy Bombers)
* Most Improved Player: Leomar Najorda (San Sebastian Stags)
* Coach of the Year: Turo Valenzona (San Sebastian Stags)

## Juniors' tournament
### Elimination round

San Beda won all 14 elimination round games, clinching a bye up to the Finals, with the twice-to-beat advantage. Letran finished second, Mapua third, and San Sebastian fourth.

### Bracket

| Stepladder round 1 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 1 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 1 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 2 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 2 (Single-elimination) | Stepladder round 2 (Single-elimination) | Finals (#1 has twice-to-beat advantage) | Finals (#1 has twice-to-beat advantage) | Finals (#1 has twice-to-beat advantage) | Finals (#1 has twice-to-beat advantage) |
| | | | | | | 1 | San Beda | 94 | 95 |
| | | | 2 | Letran | 90 | 2 | Letran | 97 | 81 |
| 3 | Mapúa | 87 | 3 | Mapúa | 78 | | | | |
| 4 | San Sebastian | 65 | | | | | | | |

### Stepladder semifinals
#### (3) Mapúa vs. (4) San Sebastian

* September 11 11:30am
| Mapúa Red Robins | 87–65 | San Sebastian Staglets |
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila

#### (2) Letran vs. (3) Mapúa

* September 13 2:00pm
| Letran Squires | 90–78 | Mapúa Red Robins |
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila

### Finals

Since San Beda swept the elimination round, they have a twice-to-beat advantage over Letran. This is a de facto best of three series with San Beda automatically leading 1-0. Therefore, San Beda has to win once, while Letran needed twice, to win the championship.
* Studio 23
* September 18 2:00pm
| San Beda Red Cubs | 94–97 | Letran Squires |
| Pts: JVee Casio 33 Rebs: Ford Arao 21 | | Pts: Bituin, Melegrito 20 each Rebs: OJ Cua 15 |
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
* Studio 23
* September 20 2:00pm
| San Beda Red Cubs | 95–81 | Letran Squires |
| San Beda wins series in two games |||
* Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Manila
* Finals Most Valuable Player: JVee Casio (San Beda Red Cubs)
San Beda was in command for most of Game 1, but Letran refused to lose and then took the lead, 90–88. San Beda then tied the game 93–all, thanks to Ford Arao's two free throws, 47 seconds remaining in the final period. In the next play, OJ Cua gave the lead again to the Squires, 95–93. Both teams split their charities in the final seconds, when Squire Marlon Bituin grabbed the miss from the other team, giving the Red Cubs their first loss of the season and sealing the victory for the Squires.
The Red Cubs claimed their 11th NCAA juniors championship in the deciding Game 2, thanks to JVee Casio and Arvin Braganza's outside shooting and Jay Agbayani's inside presence.

### Awards

* NCAA Season 78 juniors' basketball champions
* San Beda Red Cubs 13th title
* Most Valuable Player: Oliver John Cua (Letran Squires)
* Rookie of the Year: PJ Walsham (Letran Squires)
* Mythical Five:
** Oliver John Cua (Letran Squires)
** JVee Casio (San Beda Red Cubs)
** Ford Arao (San Beda Red Cubs)
** Jay Agbayani (San Beda Red Cubs)
** Yuri Escueta (San Beda Red Cubs)
* Defensive Player of the Year: Elmer Espiritu (JRU Light Bombers)
* Most Improved Player: Oliver John Cua (Letran Squires)
* Coach of the Year: Ato Badolato (San Beda Red Cubs)

## Media

This was the first season of Studio 23's coverage (later ABS-CBN Sports+Action) has been produced by ABS-CBN Sports which the NCAA games every Wednesday and Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The commentators were Bill Velasco, Sev Sarmenta and Bob Novales were presenters and alongside Butch Maniego, Allan Gregorio and others.