Stags, Altas gun for solo lead today

Three-peat seeking San Sebastian and dark horse University of Perpetual Help of Rizal gun for the solo lead as the two clash today in the NCAA basketball tournament at the Rizal Coliseum.

Making a big impact with opening day victories, the Stags, winners over the Jose Rizal Bombers, 81-77, and the Altas, who walloped the St. Benilde Blazers, 76-69, go at it at 2 p.m. with the winner seizing the solo lead.

Philippine Christian University and St. Benilde try to barge into the win column as they clash at 4 p.m. in a rematch between two teams that fought for the last finals berth last year.

But all eyes are expected to focus on the San Sebastian-UPHR match.

While the Stags, boasting of an almost intact line-up, struggled against the Bombers, the Altas showed a lot of chracter against the Blazers.

After blowing a 18-point fourth quarter lead, UPHR went to skipper Marcel Cuneco, who took charge with key rebounds and five clutch foul shots in the stretch to turn back an upset-conscious Tonichi Yturri-mentored CSB.

"We definitely showed a lot of character in our first win," said UPHR coach Bai Cristobal, who steered his team to Ambrocio Padilla Cup last month. "And we need a lot more of that against San Sebastian, which we all know is the team to beat this season."

Aside from Cuenco, Cristobal has some prized rookie recruits in Khiel Misa, Robert Lee Barnson, Vladimir Joe and Wayne Santos, who played quality minutes for the Altas.

The Blazers seek to duplicate their Final Four triumph over the Dolphins last season to set up a championship showdown with Stags, who eventually won it for a back-to-back title.

The PCU-CSB duel, however, will be an entirely different story from last season as both squads are reeling form the loss of their key starters, who either graduated or played out their playing years.

The Dolphins, coached by former Olympian Jimmy Mariano, for one, have lost Bernzon Franco, Lot Soriano, Alwyn Ilagan, Nelson Gatdual and Lwo Gaspi while the Blazers are without the prolific Sunday Salvacion, now with the PBA’s Barangay Ginebra.