Rafael Are leads San Sebastian past San Beda. –FILOIL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–San Beda sputtered down the stretch as San Sebastian came away with a 79-73 win in Group B of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Friday.
The game was tied at 72 with 3:15 left to play when the Stags uncorked a pivotal 7-1 run to keep their NCAA rivals at bay and improve to 1-1.
Trailing 77-72 with 1:06 remaining, the Red Lions had a chance to inch closer but James Kwekuteye not only missed a driving layup but also committed a personal foul resulting in two free throws for the Stags.
San Beda, which remained winless in the preseason tournament at 0-3, also missed a total of seven shots since the deadlock with their sole point coming from former University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cub Jacob Cortez’s free throw.
The Stags were more active on the defensive side, garnering 14 team steals over San Beda’s seven.
San Sebastian’s bench also outscored the Red Lions’ second unit by a big margin, 57-36.
Rafael Are of the Stags registered 21 points with six rebounds in the victory. Romeo Calahat also flirted with a double-double with 17 markers and eight boards.
Kwekuteye scored 17 and Justine Sanchez had 12 for San Beda.
The Scores
SAN SEBASTIAN 79 — Are 21, Calahat 17, Villapando 13, Escobido 7, Sumoda 5, Una 3, Altamirano 2, Cosari 2, Garcia 2, Yambing 2, Felebrico 1, Desoyo 0, Shanoda 0.
SAN BEDA 73 — Kwekuteye 17, Sanchez 12, Gallego 8, Bahio 6, Alfaro 6, Ynot 6, Cortez 5, Cuntapay 5, Jopia 3, Tagle 3, Andrada 2, Visser 0, Llarena 0, Teruel 0. Quarters: 13-25, 28-34, 57-56, 79-73.