The Stags clinched the victory despite missing the services of high-leaping guard Ronald Pascual, who suffered an ACL injury in his left knee during their previous game against the San Beda Red Lions.
With their win, San Sebastian moved closer to a slot in the 2011 PCCL Finals.
The Stags, runners-up in the NCAA Season 87 basketball tournament, led by 4 points with 10 seconds to go when Ateneo's Kirk Long banked in a 3-pointer.
Stag center Ian Sangalang then missed two charities off a duty foul by Greg Slaughter, and Long streaked down the court and banked in another three-pointer.
But the referees waved it off after reviews showed that the ball was still in Long's hands as time expired.
It was actually a come-from-behind win for the Stags, who were down by 12 points with 6:07 to go in the final quarter after Ateneo's JP Erram canned a mid-range jump shot.
The Stags then mounted a comeback, led by NCAA Season 87 MVP Calvin Abueva, who touched off 13-0 run that gave the Stags the lead, 66-65, with a little less than 2 minutes remaining.
Abueva led the way for San Sebastian with 20 points, 7 of which came in the pivotal fourth period. He also had 11 rebounds.
Slaughter had 16 points for the Blue Eagles, but he had no field goals in the fourth and committed an unsportsmanlike foul on San Sebastian's Michael Miranda with 3:27 remaining that swung the momentum of the ball game.
The game was tight all throughout and the score was tied at 32-all after the first half.
The Blue Eagles tried numerous times to break the game wide open, only to see the Stags come back with a scoring flurry of their own.
Ateneo, the 4-time defending UAAP champions, are also gunning for a "three-peat" in the PCCL.
by Camille B. Naredo
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