San Beda unleashed a crippling rally in the third period and held its ground in the waning minutes of the game to trounce Letran, 75-63, in the NCAA Season 95 at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan on Tuesday.

The Red Lions chalked up their It was San Beda’s 15th win in a row, and 29th since last season to remain on top while dealing the Knights their second straight loss for a 9-6 card.

The defending champions blasted Letran with a 20-0 run in the third quarter to break the game open and weathered the Knights’ last-ditch efforts in the final quarter to seal the win.

“Well, it’s really the players who really worked hard for this,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. “Our defense really stepped up after they had the 8-0 run… At least naka-recover kami.”

San Beda ran to a 17-1 lead early in the game before Letran managed to claw its way back and cut the lead to eight points, 34-42 at the half.

The Knights tried to sustain their momentum and scored eight straight points at the start of the third period before the Red Lions unleashed a 20-0 run sparked by a three-pointer from Clint Doliguez.

“We went back to our defensive mentality, and we made some stops and we had a 20-0 run. So again, it’s the effort of the players that should be credited to day because Letran is a very strong team,” said Fernandez.