Lions eye solo top spot; Stags battle Cards

SAN BEDA shoots for the solo lead when it squares off with a reeling Emilio Aguinaldo College squad in the 89th NCAA basketball at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Lions are gunning for their third straight victory in the 6 p.m. duel with the Generals, whose three-game winning run was snapped by San Sebastian last Monday.

A win by San Beda will allow the defending champions to vault past idle Letran, which doesn’t play until Monday when it clashes with Arellano U.

“We can’t take EAC for granted,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. “It’s a well-coached team.”

A resurgent San Sebastian tangles with a Mapua team teetering on the brink of elimination in the first game at 4 p.m.

Revenge will be on the minds of the Stags in their second match with the Cardinals, who dealt them a 99-104 overtime loss last July 1.  It has been Mapua’s only win of the season so far.

The Stags, with a 6-5 slate, are looking to extend their winning streak to three games and solidify their hold of the No. 4 spot.

San Sebastian coach Topex Robinson hopes to have starting center Bradwyn Guinto back for the game, after missing the clash against Arellano due to flu.

In his absence, Ranimark Tano stepped up with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Stags, who hammered out a 54-49 victory.

The Cardinals are hoping for a change of fortunes after losing their last nine games, most of them in lopsided fashion.

It will be up to Kenneth Ighalo, Joseph Eriobu and Jesse Saitanan to turn around what has been a nightmare of a season for Mapua.  Eriobu and Ighalo combined for 51 points against the Stags.  Cedelf P. Tupas