Stags stop bleeding

Game today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
2:30 p.m. — All-Star Game

San Sebastian College arrested a four-game skid at the expense of listless Emilio Aguinaldo College, 78-61, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 98 seniors basketball competition at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan on Friday.

Stags coach Egay Macaraya finally found the answer to their end-game woes with a strong second half after they trailed by one point entering halftime.

San Sebastian got the much-needed win to improve to a 3-5 win-loss record and keep its flickering Final Four hopes alive.

"Credit to the boys, finally we got the win," Macaraya said.

"We had problems in the endgame in our previous games. We had a hard time executing. I think partly because they're pressured to win. But this time we're making our shots, I think this game is really for us," he added.

Itchie Altamirano drilled the final nail in the coffin with a corner trey that opened a 72-56 gap with just 1:36 remaining in the game, sending EAC to a woeful winless first round campaign.

The Stags took a 52–43 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

San Sebastian's bench then went on a tear, scoring 55 points with Alex Desoyo leading the pack with 11 points while Jessie Sumoda and Rhinwill Yambing added 10.

The Generals mounted a spirited rally in the second quarter, blasting a 15-1 swing to turn an 11-point deficit into a 25-22 lead before heading into the half with a 31-30 advantage.

EAC is the first team to go winless in nine games after College of Saint Benilde dropped all of its outings in the first round of Season 92.

JP Maguliano flirted with a double-double of 19 points and nine rebounds while Adam Doria had 12 for the Generals, who had 25 turnovers that the Stags converted into 25 turnover points.

The Scores:

SAN SEBASTIAN (78) — Desoyo 11, Sumoda 10, Yambing 10, Altamirano 8, Concha 8, Are 6, Villapando 5, Felebrico 5, Una 5, Cosari 4, Calahat 3, Shanoda 3, Escobido 0.

EAC (61) — Maguliano 19, Ad. Doria 12, Bajon 5, Balowa 5, Dominguez 4, Cosejo 3, Luciano 3, Liwag 2, Quinal 2, Tolentino 2, An. Doria 2, Angeles 2, Umpad 0.

Quarters: 18-10, 30-31, 52-43, 78-61.