NCAA S87: SSCR vs EAC

History Lesson:
Posting leads as high as 41-20, the San Sebastian Golden Stags took their foot off the gas pedal, with head coach Topex Robinson sending in his reserves at the latter part of the third quarter. Emilio Aguinaldo College refused to give up though, cutting the lead down to as little as a solitary point, 67-66, before the return of the SSC-R starters recreated the separation and got the 77-70 win. The Stags' veterans all scored in double figures, with Ronald Pascual leading the way with 19 points. On the other hand, three Generals scored 16 points, Claude Cubo, Jan Jamon and Joshua Torralba, but they got precious little from their bench, aside from Igee King. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• Now boasting the league's best record at 9-0, the San Sebastian Golden Stags will look to keep their immaculate record, especially with the teams at the lower end of the standings.
• The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals find themselves in a volatile place, tied at  3-6 with three other teams, JRU, AU, and MIT. That means a loss could set them back by a lot, while a win boosts them quick above the fray. 

SSCR Stat to Watch : You won't find a better scoring trio than what the Stags possess, with Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual and Ian Sangalang combining for 56.3 points a game. But beyond those three, the other players norm just 23 points a game. If their bench steps up, it'll be hard to stop them. If they don't though, you get a result similar to the first encounter between these two teams, with the "Big Three" needing to bail the rest of the team out.
SSCR Player to Watch : Ian Sangalang found himself limited in their last game versus San Beda, held in check by the Red Lions bigs and cramps to finish with just nine points and eight rebounds. Against the Generals though, there's not really a lot of interior defense beyond Claude Cubo, so Sangalang should figure to dominate.

EAC Stat to Watch : The Generals are tied for most rebounds given up to their opponent, allowing opposing teams to pluck down 46.67 boards a game, and are second-worst at conceding offensive rebounds, with 17.8 a game. That's going to be a problem when faced with guys like Sangalang and Calvin Abueva, who can dominate the glass.
EAC Player to Watch : Claude Cubo is the Generals' leading rebounder, plucking down 7.1 boards a game. He can still be easily handled though, as JRU and Letran were able to hold him to three and two rebounds respectively. That means, if the Stags really want to, they can practically erase him from the scene if they put someone to box him out on ever possession, leaving the Generals' guard corps to fend for themselves.

Prediction: SSCR Golden Stags