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Bacolod City, PhilippinesMonday, September 24, 2012
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RAMS EARN FINALS SLOT
USLS stuns
WNU Mustangs, 79-76

After a winless season, the University of St. La Salle Stingers finally triumphed in its do-or-die seventh game last night.

The Stingers shocked defending champion West Negros University, 79-76, in the semifinal match of the four-team NOPSSCEA basketball tournament at the Mustang’s homecourt.

The two teams will clash on Friday for the right to advance to the finals as WNU, as the leader after two rounds in the elimination with a 5-1 card, has to be beaten twice by the fourth-ranked Lasallians.

The Lasallians’ victory came before the 86-73 trouncing by the UNO-Recoletos Rams, the No. 2 squad after the elimination, of the third-ranked Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod squad in the other semis match.

The Rams clipped the Eagles as early as the first quarter with a 26-14 advantage and the first half, 48-36, and never looked back, including in the third canto where it sustained the advantage at 68-54.

Cedric Eslabon led the UNO-R scorers with 21 points with Melogie Erojo contributing 16 and Joemel Paderog with 14 points to help the Rams’ campaign.

Alfred Valle chalked in 16 to spearhead the Augustinians’ losing effort and got scoring assists from Ray Leonard Besas and Marfel Gaitan, with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Five Stingers – Arturo Cuaresma, Emmanuel Sevilla, Scott Salvacion, Rendell John Bernales and Kevin Rey Villafranca -- scored in twin digits for a 64-point combine output.

“We knew that we could beat them because we have shown consistency in our game up to the dying minutes,” said Salvacion, the Stingers’ captain.

Coach Opuan echoed the statement by saying that despite early losses, he know that his team can play good games if only the players keep their confidence high all over the game.

Salvacion made a perfect two-point free throw in the final seconds of the game to allow the Stingers the final pullaway before Catalino's attempt three-point attempt failed in the final two seconds.*

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