The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights needed to dig deep to survive the upset-seeking Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 91-89, Tuesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
“Talagang hindi pa namin makuha yung convincing win,” lamented first-year Letran head coach Bonnie Tan.
Despite going on a four-game winning streak to lift their record to 4-1, Letran has only had an average winning margin of 4.2 points per game.
“Again, we’re still learning. We cannot check yung transition,” added Tan.
Letran was up by 10, 88-78, with 2:09 left before Marwin Taywan rallied EAC back, cutting the lead down to just three with 58.2 ticks left.
“Yung EAC grabe, ayaw magpatalo. Well-coached team under coach Oliver Bunyi,” expressed Tan.
Ato Ular was able to swat away Renz Gonzales’ lay-up late but Bonbon Batiller split his charities on the other end.
Jethro Mendoza scored on a quick basket afterward as again Batiller split their charities.
With no timeouts left with 4.8 seconds remaining, Gonzales ran the length of the court and threw up an in-line three. However, his shot was overcooked as time expired.
Letran, who clawed back from 10 down, was led by Jerrick Balanza’s 22 points while Ular tallied 19 points, nine rebounds, and a block.
Batiller added 17 points as Larry Muyang snapped out of his funk, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
EAC, who fell to 1-3, was paced by Taywan’s 25 points spiked by three triples. Gonzales added 13 markers.
Letran will have a week off before facing neighbors Mapua Cardinals on Tuesday, July 30 at 12:00 nn. EAC, on the other hand, looks to bounce back on Friday, July 26 at 4:00 pm.
The Scores:
CSJL 91 – Balanza 22, Ular 19, Batiller 17, Muyang 16, Yu 8, Mina 5, Caralipio 2, Ambohot 1, Javillonar 1, Olivario 0, Reyson 0, Sangalang 0, Balagasay 0
EAC 89 – Taywan 25, Gonzales 13, Maguliano 10, Luciano 8, Dayrit 7, Tampoc 6, Mendoza 5, Martin 5, Gurtiza 2, De Guzman 2, Boffa 2, Corilla 2, Cadua 2
Quarterscores: 15-20, 38-48, 68-65, 91-89
