PONG Escobal banged in a go-ahead lay-up in the last 20.4 seconds in overtime as the titleholder San Beda College edged San Sebastian College, 84-83, yesterday in the NCAA seniors basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome. The three-peat seeking San Beda now totes a 3-0 mark alongside idle Letran. But the victory was not easy for the Red Lions, as they needed a big fourth quarter spurt to send the game into extra period. "They showed a lot of character down the stretch, they refused the lose," said San Beda mentor Frankie Lim. The Stags were all poise to make an upset as they erected a commanding 67-56 lead entering the payoff period. Escobal, Kris Taupa and Ogie Menor joined forces in the big San Beda run to take a 74-71 advantage, with 12.4 seconds left in regulation.

San Sebastian sent the game into overtime as rookie Jonathan Semira scored a three-pointer, with 0.7 ticks left in regulation. The Red Lions failed on their last play as Bam-Bam Gamalinda's inbound went out of bounce. The Stags took an 83-80 edge in the final two minutes in overtime, with Jim Viray hitting beyond the arc at the 1:43 mark. But San Sebastian were silenced since then, as Sam Ekwe scored a putback followed by Escobal's basket which gave a one-point San Beda lead. After coach Jorge Gallent sued for time, the Stags attempted snatch the win, but the driving Pamboy Raymundo was shut down by the defense set by Ekwe which forced him to give the ball to an open Viray, who missed a buzzer-beating jumper.

Escobal had 21 points while Ekwe added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Red Lions. "We struggled a lot in the first half, that was not the Red Lions basketball that I know, good thing, our zone defense clicked in the final quarter and in the overtime," said Lim. Jason Ballesteros registered 16 points and 15 boards while Jimbo Aquino added 13 markers for San Sebastian, which fell to 1-3. In the second game, Philippine Christian University barged into the win column with a 65-61 triumph over University of Perpetual Help System Dalta. The Dolphins, which are coming off from one-year hiatus, broke a four-game losing slump, while the Altas fell to 1-3 to tie with the Stags at sixth place. In the juniors division, Almond Vosotros had 27 puntos and eight rebounds while Raffy Gusi and Arvie Bringas combined for 26 points and 16 boards as titleholder San Sebastian Staglets nosed out a 77-73 overtime win kontra sa San Beda Red Cubs.

Scores:

First Game (Jrs) San Sebastian (77) – Vosotros 27, Gusi 15, Bringas 11, Ortuoste 9, Delgado J. 7, Delgado F. 4, Cam 2, Mendoza 2, Laconico 0, Andrada 0, Estrada 0. San Beda (73) – Dela Cruz 19, Ayala 17, Amin 16, Moralde 15, Magat 3, Javier 2, Ludovive 1, Verzosa 0, Pujante 0, Mozo 0. Quarterscores: 10-16; 38-28; 50-40; 65-65; 77-73

Second Game (Srs) San Beda (84) – Escobal 21, Ekwe 17, Menor 13, Taupa 9, Hermida 8, Marcelo 6, Gamalinda 5, Tirona 2, Lanete 2, Tecson 1. San Sebastian (83) – Ballesteros 16, Aquino 13, Viray 11, Najorda 10, Saquillo 9, Semira 8, Raymundo 5, Zulueta 5, Bulawan 4, Maconocido 2. Quarterscores: 19-20; 39-43; 56-67; 74-74; 84-83

Third Game (Srs) PCU (65) – Navarro 21, Belga 11, Amparado 9, Siruma 9, Busa 4, Gomez 4, Santos 3, Vidal 2, San Pedro 2, Arce 0, Sumera 0. Perpetual (61) – Reyes 23, Kong M. 14, Ynion 8, Salanga 6, Dysam 5, Galabin 3, Kong J. 2, Sicat 0, Balboa 0, Mejos 0. QS: 18-10; 32-29; 47-40; 65-61