Red Lions forge playoff for top spot

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda battled back from eight points down midway in the fourth then outsteadied San Sebastian in the clutch to hack out a 71-67 victory and force a playoff for the No. 1 spot in the Final Four at the close of the NCAA men’s basketball elims at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The Red Lions used a stifling defense to hold the Stags to just five points in the last seven minutes while scoring 17 points of their own to complete the stirring come-from-behind triumph.

That double-teaming defense included a crucial steal off Jimbo Aquino, paving the way for a breakaway by Bam Bam Gamalinda for a 66-64 San Beda edge after the defending three-peat champions trailed by as many as eight points.

The victory enabled San Beda to tie its victim on top at 16-2 at the close of the double-round elims with the Lions and the Stags disputing the top seeding in a playoff tomorrow.

The winner will face No. 4 Letran in the Final Four while the loser will dispute the other finals berth against No. 3 Jose Rizal U. The Lions and the Stags, however, tote twice-to-beat advantages against their semis opponents.

“We stopped (Jimbo) Aquino and their other shooters, our defense really held up,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim, seeking to guide the Mendiola-based school to a No. 1 finish in the elimination round for the third straight season.

Aquino, the league’s scoring leader, missed seven of his 10 shots and wound up with a season-low nine points.

Earlier, San Beda made it a double victory after its juniors’ team routed San Sebastian, 101-80, to likewise arrange a playoff for the No. 1 spot in the Final Four tomorrow.

The winner will take on the victor between Perpetual Help and Jose Rizal, tied at No. 4 on 11-7 cards, also tomorrow while the loser squares off with No. 3 San Sebastian (13-5) for a spot in the finals.