MANILA, Philippines—Pushed to the limit for the second time in three days, San Sebastian responded with steely resolve to stay unbeaten in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament.
The Stags, steadier down the stretch, survived the Mapua Cardinals, 72-69, Friday night for their 15th straight victory at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Calvin Abueva fired 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but it was Ronald Pascual who helped seal the victory with two clutch free throws with four seconds remaining that allowed the Stags to match their longest winning streak set two seasons ago.
“These are the kind of games that will really prepare us for the championship,” said San Sebastian coach Topex Robinson, whose squad moved within three wins of posting an elimination-round sweep.
“As far as the sweep is concerned, we are not thinking about it yet.”
Mapua’s eighth loss in 14 games gave Arellano a glimmer of hope for the remaining Final Four berth, after the Chiefs downed the Lyceum Pirates, 89-77, in the first game.
Andrian Celada fired a season-high 29 points built on 6-of-8 shooting, while Kims Pagayunan came off the bench to contribute 12 markers and the Chiefs improved to 5-10.
Lyceum slid to a tie for sixth with JRU, after dropping its fourth straight game for a 5-9 record.
Just like Perpetual Help which narrowly lost 76-77 to San Sebastian, Mapua refused to be daunted by the Stags’ unblemished record.
The Cardinals looked poised for an upset when Yousif Taha completed a three-point play for a 67-66 lead with 1:26 remaining.
Abueva responded with a triple, before Allan Mangahas forged the game’s last deadlock at 69 with a jumper with 48 seconds remaining.
The Cardinals threw away two possessions, leading to a split from Sangalang and Pascual’s game-clinching foul shots.
Josan Nimes caught fire in the third period as the Cardinals, after trailing by eight points in the second period, briefly took the lead 51-50 late in the third period.
Mapua kept San Sebastian under pressure and Jason Pascual’s boosted the Cardinals to 61-57 with 6:21 remaining.
In juniors’ play, Mapua dumped San Sebastian, 75-64, to jack up its record to 9-5, while Arellano overpowered Lyceum, 114-49, to keep its postseason hopes alive.
The senior scores:
First Game
ARELLANO 89—Celada 29, Acidre 17, Zulueta 13, Pagayunan 12, Doligon 6, Lapuz 5, Gumaru 4, Salcedo 3, Palma 0.
LYCEUM 77—Napiza 18, Guevarra 18, Laude 16, Cayabyab 9, Ko 7, Francisco 3, Zamora 2, Lacap 2, Azores 2, Mallari 0, Lesmoras 0, Anacta 0,
Quarters: 28-18, 50-40, 64-57, 89-77
Second Game
SAN SEBASTIAN 72—Abueva 26, Pascual 21, Sangalang 11, Dela Cruz 8, Maiquez 6, Del Rio 0, Vitug 0, Balucanag 0, Ferrer 0, Miranda 0.
MAPUA 69—Nimes 31, Taha 10, Pascual 9, Ighalo 6, Parala 6, Banal 5, Mangahas 2, Chien 0, Sarangay 0, Stevens 0.
Quarters: 16-13, 31-25, 55-54, 72-69