Red Lions, Stags face lightweight foes

MANILA, Philippines—With the top MVP contenders leading the way, San Beda and San Sebastian look to assert their dominance against teams in the lower half of the standings Friday in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.   Leading the pack with a pristine 9-0 record, the SBC Lions, powered by American Sudan Daniel, battle the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals in the main game at 4 p.m.   Calvin Abueva, the pacesetter in the MVP race, is expected to carry the fight again for the defending champion SSC Stags, who clash with the St. Benilde Blazers in the 2 p.m. duel.   Daniel, a close second to Abueva in the statistical race after the first round, is seen as the focal point of the Lions’ run-and-gun game, which has led to routs in most of their games.   Abueva currently leads the pack with a total statistical average of 55.6 points to Daniel’s 54.6 after eight games in the first round.   Abueva is the rebounding leader with 12.3 per game and second in scoring with 16.   Daniel, looking to become the second foreigner to win the MVP award after Sam Ekwe, leads in blocks (4), is second in rebounds (11.6), and boasts a 10-point per game norm.   “I just hope Sudan continues to play well,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim. “He’s been a monster in some of our games this season and his contribution is crucial to our campaign.”