Red Lions seek repeat, top Final Four slot vs Stags

MANILA, Philippines—A resurgent San Beda squad tries to make it two-in-a-row in just three days against erstwhile leader San Sebastian when they collide for the No. 1 Final Four seed Friday in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Gametime is at 2 p.m. with the winner securing the top seed and forging a date with fourth-ranked Jose Rizal U in the Final Four.

The loser slides to second spot, but will still have a twice-to-beat advantage against Letran in the other semifinal pairing.

San Beda and San Sebastian split their two games in the elimination-round with the Lions pulling off a surprisingly easy 91-70 victory over the Stags last Wednesday.

The Stags drew first blood this season with a narrow 70-68 win last August.

San Beda coach Frankie Lim hopes his Lions sustain their aggressive form that saw them neutralize the explosive trio of Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sangalang.

Limiting Pascual’s production to a season-low of eight points last Wednesday proved key for the Lions, whose suffocating defense also forced 30 San Sebastian turnovers.

Finishing on top of the heap after the elimination-round has become a habit for the Lions under Lim, who took over in 2007.

“We don’t want that to change this season,” said Lim, who still has a formidable lineup despite the prolonged absence of last season’s Most Valuable Player Su Daniel.

The 6-foot-7 American, sidelined by an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, has been suiting up for the Lions in the past two weeks, but Lim has ruled out any possibility of the center getting some playing time.

Anthony Semerad has proven to be the impact player for the Lions in the past two games.