MANILA, Philippines—San Sebastian and University of Cebu completed the Final Four cast of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League after topping their respective Sweet 16 legs late Wednesday at the Ormoc Astrodome in Ormoc City.
Calvin Abueva, the reigning NCAA MVP, and Ian Sangalang rallied the Stags to an 83-76 victory over Letran in the final knockout duel in the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket.
The Webmasters also needed another big game from Junmar Fajardo to eliminate Southwestern University, 63-58, in the Visayas-Mindanao leg.
The Stags face reigning NCAA titlist San Beda in the Final Four while the Webmasters battle the Ateneo Blue Eagles in a match where Fajardo could face an old nemesis in former University of Visayas star Greg Slaughter.
Slaughter is expected to lead the UAAP “four-peat” champions, who, like the Lions earned outright Final Four berths in the nationwide tournament.
The favored Eagles, whose core suited up for the national team in the Southeast Asian Games, take on the Webmasters first at 2 p.m. on Monday at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan, after which the Stags and the Lions collide in a rematch of this season’s NCAA Finals.
San Sebastian hopes to build on the momentum of its recent win where Abueva and Sangalang lifted the Stags from a 13-point deficit at the break, 34-47, against the Knights.
Abueva topscored with 26 while Sangalang finished with 21 points for the Stags, who struggled early even if the Knights played minus top gunner Kevin Alas, who’s training in the United States.
The 6-foot-10 Fajardo had 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Webmasters, the Cebu collegiate champions, past the Cobras.
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