After six years, old rivals San Beda University and Letran College are facing off once again in the finals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

The Red Lions booked a trip to the finals after finishing off College of Saint Benilde, 84-81, in Game 3 of the NCAA Season 101 semifinals Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Head coach Yuri Escueta has nothing but praise for his graduating big man Yukien Andrada, who led the Lions with 27 points against Saint Benilde.

“There was one guy who didn’t want to lose today and that was Yuki (Andrada),” said Escueta, whose team will be gunning for its 24th league title starting Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Big Dome.

“Yuki is very unselfish. He’s a very unselfish guy. All season long, he allowed his teammates to feel their shots but when the lights are brighter, he’s ready to step up.”

Escueta, who will be entering his second NCAA finals with the Lions, said going up against the Knights will be a tough task.

“We need to prepare. Letran’s a tough team, SGA (Strong Group Athletics) backs them and they have great players,” Escueta said.

“I just want my players to experience that kind of atmosphere, especially for the finals. The best player in the league is Jonathan Manalili and we have to prepare for him.”

Andrada, who was picked sixth overall by Magnolia in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Annual Rookie Draft last September, showed during the do-or-die match that he is indeed ready for the next level.

Holding onto a slim 78-77 lead, Andrada buried a crucial triple with 3:23 remaining in the fourth quarter for a four-point lead.

He and rookie Janti Miller, who was absent in Game 2 last Friday due to a knee contusion, sank three out of four free throws down the stretch to close the game.

Miller dropped 26 points and six rebounds for San Beda while Bryan Sajonia had 10 points and six boards.

Tony Ynot scored 18 points in his final game in the NCAA while reigning Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Despite missing out on the finals, head coach Charles Tiu is still proud of the way they pushed San Beda to the limit.

“I told them I can stomach losing like this because of the way we played. We answered almost everything and Yuki was incredible,” Tiu said.

“I thought we did a good job in the first half. They made the shots when it mattered and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”