Ilonggo Sajonia’s insane shooting helps SBU draw first blood against CSB

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Ilonggo hoops standout John Bryan Sajonia exploded in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball semifinals, powering the San Beda University Red Lions to a 91-72 demolition of the College of Saint Benilde Blazers on Dec. 2, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The former Santa Clarita International School of Iloilo star went unconscious from the field, dropping 26 points, including a stellar 5-of-8 clip from the three-point line, alongside five rebounds and three assists.

After a brief slim lead from the Blazers during the opening quarter, the Red Lions received a much-needed offensive lift from Sajonia, who quickly waxed hot with 10 points.

Sajonia halted San Beda’s bleeding with two three-pointers, a perfect trip to the free-throw line, and a perimeter jumper that turned a 6-10 deficit into a 22-19 lead.

Thanks to Sajonia’s early scoring rampage, San Beda never trailed for the rest of the game and captured momentum until the final buzzer sounded.

Although Sajonia’s offensive attempts trimmed down in the next two quarters due to Agjanti Miller’s personal scoring avalanche in the third frame, the Ilonggo scorer kicked off the final canto with a bang, draining three consecutive treys that put the Red Lions ahead by 21 points, 74-53.

Sajonia sprayed his nine straight markers in just one minute and 17 seconds, forcing Benilde head coach Charles Tiu to call another emergency timeout.

The veteran guard’s offensive clinic came at the perfect time for San Beda, as they aimed for a strong start in the ongoing best-of-three series of the NCAA semifinals.

Backstopping Sajonia was Miller, who led all scorers in Game 1 with an efficient 29-point performance.

Miller nearly tallied a double-double stat line when he added nine rebounds, but it was his offensive artillery that spearheaded San Beda’s fiery run in the second and third quarters.

With the win, the Red Lions moved a win away from returning to the NCAA grand finals and will look to gun for a series sweep on Dec. 5, 2025, in Game 2 of the semifinals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

In the other bracket, the rolling Colegio de San Juan de Letran hacked out a close Game 1 victory over the University of Perpetual Help, 77-73.