SSC-R Stags rally to stun LPU Pirates, share NCAA 100 top

Games on Friday
(Filoil EcoOil Arena)
12 p.m.- JRU vs Letran
2:30 p.m. – UPHSD vs AU

THE San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) Stags are the comeback kids of the NCAA block.

Pulling off another epic fight back, Arvin Bonlean and his giant-slaying Stags erased a 10-point deficit in the clutch in slaying the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates, 95-93, to zoom to the top in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Down 83-93 with 1.23 minutes left, the Stags closed out with a 12-0 barrage to resurrect themselves back from the dead and snatch their second win in a row that catapulted them straight to the top besides the College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers, a pre-season title favorites.

It also showed that SSC-R’s shock, come-from-behind 91-84 win over San Juan de Letran University on Sunday wasn’t a fluke.

Coincidentally, SSC-R even has a better start than unquestioned title-favorite San Beda University, the reigning champion whose back-to-back title bid was dealt a massive blow after fall to CSB the day before and into a 1-1 slate.

All of a sudden, SSC-R has turned from a team that nobody talked about before the tournament to one of the league’s hottest, if not the hottest, teams to date.

And it was no coincidence that Rafael Are was at the center of it all after having dished out a near triple-double performance on this one with 25 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds and a 30-point, six-rebound and six-dime effort in another.

Credit the Stags’ emergence from their new coach Arvin Bonleon, who was so focused on the season that he sent only four of his players to attend the league opener at the MOA Arena Saturday.

The epic triumph also produced heroes in veterans Raymart Escobido and Tristan Felebrico, who scattered 23 and 14 points, respectively, and Gabat brothers Ralph and Reggz, who presided over that late rally combining for eight points of their team’s final 12 points that was highlighted by Mr. Ralph’s game-winning three-point play.

In contrast, it was another heartbreaker of a defeat for the LPU Pirates, who slipped to 0-2, despite coming into the event as one of the fancied teams expected to make a run at San Beda’s crown. — Joey Villar

The scores

First Game

San Sebastian 95 – Are 25, Escobido 23, Felebrico 14, Velasco 12, Re. Gabat 6, Ra. Gabat 6, Aguilar 3, Suico 2, Ricio 2, Lintol 2, Pascual 0, Barroga 0, Maliwat 0

LPU 93 – Barba 25, Bravo 13, Guadana 12, Moralejo 10, Cunanan 8, Montano 7, Daileg 6, Villegas 6, Panelo 5, Gordon 1, Penafiel 0, Aviles 0, Paulo 0

Quarter scores: 30-all; 50-all; 74-68; 95-93