Stags bring down Eagles, reach semis

What was expected to be an exciting contest turned out to be a boring one yesterday as San Sebastian, the reigning NCAA champion, posted a 71-61 victory over Ateneo, the reigning UAAP champion, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The victory was the third in four games for the Stags but it was more than enough to carry coach Turo Valenzona’s charges into the single-round semis of the UAAP-NCAA Final Showdown, which pitted two teams each from the two collegiate leagues.

Aside from San Sebastian, the other NCAA squad that made it to the next round was St. Benilde while advancing from the UAAP side were unbeaten UE and Ateneo, which absorbed its first loss in four outings. St. Benilde wound up tied with PCU at 1-3 but advanced due to a better quotient.

The semis will start today with the top two teams advancing to the one-game title playoff.

The Warriors emerged as the only team with a 4-0 record at the close of the elimination round after beating the PCU Dolphins, 71-68, in the first game. A victory by PCU would have slammed the door on St. Benilde, this year’s losing finalist in the NCAA.

The Stags missed the services of starters Jam Alfad and Christian Coronel while the Eagles played without Enrico Villanueva. Alfad and Coronel opted to see action in the ongoing PBL-Cebu Basketball League dual meet in Cebu City.

Ateneo, which ended a 14-year title drought in the UAAP with a classic win over arch rival La Salle recently, closed out the elims with a 3-1 record in a tie with Santo Tomas. But like St. Benilde, the Eagles made it to the semis with a higher quotient.

The Eagles got off to a strong start and raced to an 11-0 lead. Wesley Gonzales scored on a triple, a couple of three-point plays, a short jumper and a left-handed layup to give Ateneo a 21-11 lead. But the Stags slowly clawed back and won the game with a stronger finish.