By: Joaquin Cortez
Emilio Aguinaldo College finally broke through, surviving San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 94-87, to claim its first win and close out the first round of Group B action in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
With both teams entering the matchup with identical 0-3 records, EAC broke into the win column to improve to 1-3, while San Sebastian finished its Group B assignments at 0-4.
“Sa team naman, anybody could score. Ang kailangan namin is to play defense, and everyone should play defense. ‘Yong score naman namin, anyone could shoot kung sino ‘yong available,” EAC head coach Jerson Cabiltes said. “Good thing nagkaroon ng hot streak si MJ [Raymundo] at ang maganda doon, hinahanap talaga siya ng teammates niya.”
After San Sebastian took a 54-51 lead into halftime, the Generals flipped the script in the third quarter, with Wilmar Oftana knocking down timely three-pointers and MJ Raymundo taking over from midrange. Raymundo drilled four straight shots to help EAC build a 78-68 cushion heading into the final period.
The Stags quickly erased much of EAC’s lead in the fourth, answering with a 12-3 run in under four minutes to pull within one, 81-80.
San Sebastian remained within striking distance but squandered opportunities at the free-throw line before Oftana’s putback layup restored EAC’s five-point lead, 92-87, with under two minutes remaining.
The Generals then sank their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Oftana and Jacob Shanoda paced the Generals with 18 points apiece, while brothers MJ and Harvae Raymundo followed with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
Murtimar was San Sebastian’s lone double-digit scorer with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Gabat and Alforque added nine points apiece.
The Generals made their presence felt on the boards, hauling down 19 offensive rebounds that translated into 19 second-chance points, compared to the Stags’ 12.
EAC also forced 19 turnovers, converting them into 21 points.
San Sebastian also saw two players go down with injuries.
Matt Acosta hyperextended his knee after slipping while posting up four minutes into the game, while Arwin Alforque later suffered a knee injury after colliding with Castillo on a layup attempt in the second quarter.
Both teams will open their crossover-round campaigns on Friday, October 2.
Emilio Aguinaldo College will face Lyceum of the Philippines University at 10:00 a.m., while the Stags will look to notch their first win of the season against San Beda University at 5:00 p.m.
The Scores:
Emilio Aguinaldo 94 – Oftana 18, Shanoda 18, M. Raymundo 17, H. Raymundo 12, Nunag 10, Castillo 8, Bagay 5, Ochavo 2, Sealey 2, Luna 2, Bonus 0, Coronel 0, Buen 0.
San Sebastian 87 – Muktimar 12, Gabat 9, Alforque 9, Castor 8, Ynot 7, Segovia 7, Acosta 7, Bacani 6, Barroga 6, Cuya 6, Ricio 4, Velasco 4, Dimaunahan 2, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 35-26, 51-54, 78-68, 94-87.
