Stags nip Knights, advance to Final 4

Reigning titlist San Sebastian leaned on the breaks and a key defensive stop in the stretch as it turned back Letran, 63-61, yesterday to clinch the first Final Four slot in the 79th NCAA basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Stags were held to just two foul shots, courtesy of Fil-Am Clark Moore, in the final four minutes of play but these were enough to seal their ninth win in 13 outings, a place in the semifinals and a win away from claiming a twice-to-beat edge.

But the three-peat seeking champions almost threw away the victory. Up by 10 points, 61-51, with four minutes left in the contest, San Sebastian watched Letran pull within two when Boyet Bautista capped an 11-2 blast with five unanswered points.

With 10 seconds remaining and the Stags up by two, Aaron Aban stole the ball from Chris Baluyot, passed it to a wide-open Ronjay Enrile for a triple that bounced off the rim.

Baluyot made up for his error by blocking Frederick Rodriguez’s follow-up at the buzzer that sent the Knights to their fifth defeat against eight triumphs.

Michael Gonzales led the San Sebastian scoring with 11 but missed four clutch free throws in the stretch. He would have been the goat had Enrile drilled in his three-point attempt and Baluyot failed to swat away Rodriguez’s shot.

In the other game, Jose Rizal rode on the key shots of Wynsjohn Te and Marco Fajardo as it downed San Beda, 87-82, to join San Sebastian and Letran into the next round with a 8-5 slate.