Playing as the spoilers in the tail-end of the elimination phase, the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags pulled off an impressive 98-92 win over the San Beda College Red Lions at the Filoil Flying V Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
A high-scoring affair was displayed by the two schools in the 28-23 ending to the first quarter in favor of San Sebastian. During the quarter, the Stags built its largest lead at 11-5 with a triple by Spencer Preta. Pro-bound Bradwyn Guinto was also a force underneath as he was located by his teammates in the paint that led to their early lead. San Beda managed to tie the match but the transition game of the Stags enabled them to take the lead in their strong offensive start to the game. To top it off, Jam Ortuestre drained a tough three pointer from way downtown to beat the first quarter buzzer.
Settling for a fullcourt pressure defense to shock the Stags at the start of the second as they managed to take a 29-28 lead within a minute.
However, as the Stags starters started to field the floor anew, they went on a huge surge in the middle of the quarter with their transition game and build the lone double-digit lead at 43-33. 8 points would then be quickly sliced off by the defending champs with Baser Amer facilitating his team. The Stags had a four point lead at the break notwithstanding a strong half by San Beda’s bigs.
Guinto continued his stellar outing as he opened up the second half with two quick baskets. Art Dela Cruz started to make noise for the Red Lions as his unstoppable floaters and undergoal stabs hurt the lead established by San Sebastian. He had a 7-0 personal run to cap off his 11-point third quarter to help his squad take a solitary point edge after 30 mins. On the other hand, San Sebastian struggled finding the mark late as the Red Lions’ defense making its presence felt.
Four lead changes and a two deadlocks happened in the first five minutes of the payoff period as a solid exchange of baskets took off for both teams. In the 3:37 mark of the fourth, Radge Tongco committed an unsportsmanlike foul which seemed to be the turning point of the game. After the call, the Stags punched in eight unanswered points while San Beda committed crucial turnovers on their end. That stretch sealed the deal for the Stags as Ryan Costello and Jam Ortuestre provided 7/8 free throws down the stretch to ice the victory for San Sebastian.
“Enjoy na lang natin yung last five games,” San Sebastian head coach Rodney Santos said. “I just don’t want to pressure them.” With regard to his gameplan, the former PBA cager said that they executed well on offense “Nagwork yung gameplan namin, they moved the ball well and executed. Everytime we play San Beda, we have to play 40 minute basketball.”
For Guinto, who is playing his final year with the Stags, this win was special since this was the first time he defeated San Beda ever since. “This was the first time I won against San Beda, even in Team B,” the Smart Elite ambassador said.
Guinto finished the game with 26 points and 9 boards. He shot an excellent 80% from the field and was 2/2 from the charity stripe. Michael Calisaan complemented the effort with 21 points and 9 boards.
For the Red Lions, Art Dela Cruz grabbed a triple-double with 30 points, on 14/16 shooting, 12 boards and 10 dimes. Smart Elite ambassador Baser Amer added 9 points and 9 dimes.
The San Sebastian Golden Stags (5-10, 7th) will look to end their season on a high note as they face the College of Saint Benilde Blazers on Thursday, September 24 at 4:00pm while the San Beda Red Lions (11-4, T-1st) face the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals on Friday, September 25 at 12:00nn.
The Scores:
SSC-R (98) – Guinto 26, Calisaan 21, Fabian 16, Ortuoste 13, Bulanadi 10, Costelo 7, Pretta 5, Santos 0, Capobres 0.
SBC (92) – Dela Cruz 30, Adeogun 17, Tankoua 10, Amer 9, Soberano 8, Mocon 7, Solera 4, Presbitero 3, Koga 2, Tongco 2, Cabanag 0, Reyes 0.
Quarterscores: 28-23, 49-45, 73-74, 98-92
