Stags beat Knights, face Red Lions for NCAA crown
San Sebastian spoiled Letran's upset bid Wednesday as the Golden Stags pulled off a 63-56 win in their knockout match for the second finals berth in the 87th NCAA men's basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.
Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual came up big in the clutch as the Stags earned the right to face defending champion San Beda in Game 1 of the NCAA finals on October 24.
The Red Lions earned the first finals berth after defeating Jose Rizal University, 83-74.
San Sebastian's triumvirate finally showed up knocking in six of the team's last eight points to quash Letran's run late in the game sealing their third straight finals trip against San Beda.
The Stags-Red Lions finals rematch starts on Monday at 4 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
San Sebastian's "Big 3" went to work after Letran tied the game on a 10-0 run, highlighted by Kevin Alas' three-pointers.
Pascual scored on a hook shot, Sangalang followed with a putback and Abueva soared for a tip-in to douse cold water in the Knights' fight back for a 61-55 count with two minutes and 20 seconds left in the match.
San Sebastian sealed the match as Anthony Del Rio stole Jonathan Belorio's pass and Abueva dishing out to Jovit Dela Cruz for a short stab with 10.2 seconds left in the clock.
Abueva tallied 20 points and 18 rebounds, Sangalang added 15 and 12 while Pascual finished with 11 points on 2-of-4 shooting from the three-point range and seven boards. All logged in 35 minutes on the floor for the Golden Stags.
San Sebastian won 15 straight games in the season but three straight losses endangered the Stags' finals bid. The Stags, needing to win once in the semis, are on a the verge of a monumental collapse against the Knights when they dropped a 70-62 decision on Monday.
"Lessons learned from those games," said Robinson. "When our backs are against the wall, the best thing that we can do is we just have to fight and do whatever it takes."
The Stags, despite being forced to a must-win situation by the Knights, played with much confidence this time around. Robinson even made a fashion statement when he wore a striped long-sleeved polo shirt for the match.
"I want to make sure that I'm going to the dance. I just wanted to make sure that I'm going to war looking good because it gives me confidence," said Robinson.
In only his first year at the helm, Robinson will be coaching in the finals against Frankie Lim, who won three titles with San Beda.
"I'm just overwhelmed by the situation. There were times that I wanted to quit but I told myself that if I quit, I'll be a quitter for the rest of my life," said Robinson.
Alas erupted with three straight triples tying the game at 55 hitting those threes from the left side, right side and the key hole. But the Knights came up with only one point after that.
Alas had 26 points on 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc but didn't come out as the victor in the game. Crying at the bench, Alas was hugged by Abueva to console Letran's spitfire guard.
"Marami pa tayong championship na paglalabanan (We're going to contend for more championships)," Abueva told Alas. — JVP, GMA News
San Sebastian 63—Abueva 20, Sangalang 15, Pascual 11, Dela Cruz 9, Antipuesto 3, Del Rio 2, Vitug 2, Miranda 1, Maiquez 0.
Letran 56—K. Alas 26, Cruz 11, Cortes 8, J. Alas 4, Racal 3, Belorio 2, Dysam 2, Almazan 0, Espiritu 0, Gabriel 0.
Quarter scores: 17-16, 34-28, 50-41, 63-56.
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/235922/sports/stags-beat-knights-face-red-lions-for-ncaa-crown
