| Stags defuse Bombers, claim Finals ticket NCAA Press Release, Tue, Oct 20, 2009 Games Thursday (Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m.- San Beda vs Letran (jrs) 4 p.m.- San Beda vs San Sebastian (srs) San Sebastian relied on the return of skipper Jimbo Aquino as it walloped Jose Rizal, 79-64, yesterday to forge an interesting best-of-three championship showdown with reigning three-peat titlist San Beda in the 85th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City. While Calvin Abueva led the team with 18 points, it was Aquino, who served out a one-game suspension in a 65-72 loss in their first game in the Final Four for punching San Beda’s Jake Pascual, who provided the glue that kept the Stags together in nailing their first finals appearance since making it that far six seasons ago when they eventually lost to the Letran Knights. Aquino ended up firing 14 points, five rebounds and two assists and the leadership that was relatively absent when he sat down the last time out. “We lost a leader last time,” said San Sebastian coach Ato Agustin. “Now that he (Aquino) is back, the boys suddenly played inspired basketball and he’s really our go-to-guy.” The Stags jumped the gun on the suddenly slow-footed Bombers as they raced to a 29-8 start at the end of the opening quarter when the troika of Aquino, Abueva and talented rookie Ian Sangalang leading the onslaught. Slowly but surely, the Bombers clawed their way back and trimmed their deficit to as low as eight points on a pair of free throws by Cameroonian dynamo Nchotu Njei, 38-46, less than seven minutes to go. But a 12-1 blitz ignited by a six-point swing by the scrappy Abueva zapped the last fight out of the Bombers, last year’s runners-up whose bid of ending a 37-year drought came to a crashing halt with this loss. “We’re glad to be in the finals, everyone is excited because this is the first time we’re all going there,” said Agustin, a former PBA MVP. The San Beda-San Sebastian finale marks the first time that such showdown was forged in more than a decade. The last time these two proud schools met was in the 1996 and 1997 seasons with the Stags, then led by Rommel Adducul, both winning the two series. The scores: San Sebastian 79- Abueva 18, Aquino 14, Najorda 9, Sangalang 8, Pascual 8, del Rio 8, Bulawan 7, Raymundo 5, Gatchalian 2, Semira 0, Maconocido 0 Jose Rizal 64- Sena 13, Agas 9,Cagoco 8, Hayes 8, Wilson 8, Njei 4, Lopez 4, Etame 4, Apinan 2, Kabigting 2, Bulangis 2, Gabriel 0 Quarterscores: 29-8; 44-28; 64-44; 79-64 |
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