San Beda forces playoff for No. 1

Bam Gamalinda came through with a key steal and a go-ahead basket in the dying seconds as defending three-time champion San Beda scored a 71-67 comeback win over San Sebastian to force a playoff for the No. 1 spot in the 85th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

With the game tied at 67-all, Gamalinda got help from teammate Rome dela Rosa and forced Stags' top star Jimbo Aquino to commit a crucial turnover leading to his easy layup with 33.8 seconds remaining.

The Mendiola-based squad then forced point guard Pamboy Raymundo to turn the ball over after slipping against Borgie Hermida on the next play to end the double-round eliminations tying the Stags for first place at 16-2.

Both teams will again meet on Wednesday to decide the top spot and the right to play fourth-seeded Letran in the Final Four set on Friday. The losing squad will slid down to No. 2 and play Jose Rizal University in the other pairing.

"Ever since I came here (in 2007), importante sa akin na maging No. 1 kami sa Final Four," said SBC coach Frankie Lim. "Hopefully we could come up with the same intensity on Wednesday."

American big man Sudan Daniel led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Garvo Lanete and Hermida added 15 and 12 points, respectively, as San Beda rallied from an eight-point deficit midway into the final canto.

"The guys we're playing one-on-one and trying to win the game by themselves so I asked team to move the ball around and make defensive stops," said Lim.

Losing this bruising and thrilling encounter was a devastating one for San Sebastian, which held the lead for most of the contest and a high of nine points in the second quarter.

Calvin Abueva was all over the court to finish with 15 points and 15 rebounds, Ian Sangalang had 12 points and six rebounds while Ronald Pascual likewise added 12 markers. Raymundo had just three points but dished out 13.

But the major difference was Aquino, who was held to just nine points on 3-of-10 shooting. He had a chance to give the Stags the upperhand anew but got trapped in a double team with Gamalinda and dela Rosa.

That led to a turnover, leading to a steal and an easy layup by Gamalinda, who ended up with just six points in 23 minutes.

"We were able to limit Aquino and their shooters," said Lim.

San Beda avenged its 83-77 defeat to San Sebastian in the first round last July 1 when Aquino fired 26 points in that contest.

"The big difference in this game from our previous match with them was our willingness to win," said Lim.

Aquino actually gave the Stags their final lead on a turnaround shot with 2:36 left for a 67-66 lead but Daniel tied the game after splitting his free throws with 58.0 seconds to go in the game.

The Recto-based dribblers played without big man Gilbert Bulawan, who was slapped with a one-game ban after he was ejected in their win against JRU last week.

Earlier, five players scored in double figures as San Beda pulled away in the final canto for a 101-80 rout of San Sebastian to force a playoff for No. 1 spot with Letran in the juniors' division.

Al Gotladera had 20 points and nine rebounds for a near double-double effort while Baser Amer added 12 points and dished out 15 assists for the Red Cubs, who ended the elimination round with a 17-1 record to tie the Squires.

Gino Jumao-as led the way for the defending champion Staglets with 24 points, three rebounds and five assists to end their elims campaign at 13-5 for third place heading into the semis.

The scores:

First Game (Juniors)

SAN BEDA 101 - Gotladera 20, Sara 17, dela Cruz 15, Amer 12, Ludovice 10, Abatayo 9, Chavez 6, Javier 5, Amin 5, Monteclaro 2, Moralde 0, Nayve 0, Nazareno 0, Lunas 0.

SAN SEBASTIAN 80 - Jumao-as 24, Delgado 14, Estrada 11, Pantr 10, Vergara 7, Ramirez 6, Magno 4, de Guzman 3, Balid 1, Lacnido 0, Mendoza 0, Trinidad 0, Hilario 0, Leyva 0.

Quarters: 20-15; 41-36; 72-63; 101-80.

Second Game (Seniors)

SAN BEDA 71 - Daniel 19, Lanete 15, Hermida 12, Pascual 6, dela Rosa 6, Gamalinda 6, Tecson 3, Caram 2, Marcelo 2, Tirona 0.

SAN SEBASTIAN 67 - Abueva 15, Sangalang 12, Pascual 12, Aquino 9, Maconocido 6, Najorda 5, Raymundo 3, Semira 3, Maiquez 2, del Rio 0.

Quarters: 15-18; 28-35; 54-56; 71-67.