The San Sebastian Stags halted the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers’ undefeated streak with a 101-78 bashing in the 88th NCAA basketball tournament late Saturday night at the Arena in San Juan City.
The Heavy Bombers, which started the season with three straight victories, simply had no answer for the explosive triumvirate of the Stags collectively known as the “Pinatubo Trio.” Reigning MVP Calvin “The Beast” Abueva and Ian Sangalang each had double-doubles with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and 19 points and 10 boards, respectively, while Ronald Pascual, who is coming off a knee surgery, showed that he is indeed back as he dropped 26 points.
The victory gave the Stags a share of the lead at the top of the standings. With a 3-1 (win-loss) mark, they now have the lead along with JRU and the surprising Perpetual Help Altas. Correspondent Jonas Panerio