Back-to-earth Stags seek bonus vs Lyceum

MANILA, Philippines—San Sebastian hopes to get back on its feet with a victory Wednesday that will reward the Stags with the first semifinal bonus in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Coming off a heartbreaker that snapped their unbeaten run, the Stags shoot for the twice-to-beat incentive instead versus a Lyceum squad trying to keep its own Final Four bid alive.

Game time is 4 p.m., right after eliminated teams Arellano and Perpetual Help wrap up their campaigns at 2 p.m. at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Stags, who were just three wins removed from an elimination-round sweep and an outright Finals stint, got a jolt of reality after Letran halted their 15-game winning streak with a stunning 82-81 overtime decision last Friday.

So Stags coach Topex Robinson knows that it’s not going to be easy against the sixth-running Pirates, who are also fighting to stay alive in the race for the last Final Four berth.

“We have to accept that all teams will play us hard,” said Robinson.

The Stags kept the solo lead at 15-1 despite the loss, but both San Beda (14-2) and Letran (14-3) still remain in contention for the twice-to-beat edge, the incentive given to the top two teams at end of the elimination round.

Lyceum coach Bonnie Tan also wants his wards to just focus on their remaining games, instead of their must-win predicament.

“We are not thinking about the Final Four ever since we started the season,” said Tan.

Lyceum (6-10) is the only other team that has a shot at the fourth spot along with idle Jose Rizal University (8-9).

But if the Pirates lose Wednesday, the Bombers will automatically clinch the last Final Four berth.