Emilio Aguinaldo College was firing on all cylinders Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament, burying San Sebastian College-Recoletos with a three-point barrage to come away with a 101-94 victory at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
EAC bested Baste in a similar fashion back in Round One of the NCAA’s centennial season, grabbing a 97-86 victory to end the first round.
“Actually, yung sa dugout nga, I reminded them that it’s not just every game that is crucial. Every possession is now crucial for us. Puwedeng mag-matter yun towards the end,” said second-year Generals head coach Jerson Cabiltes.
The Generals refused to miss from beyond the arc, knocking down 14 of their 29 attempts from long range in the high-scoring affair.
With the Generals draining long bomb after long bomb, the Stags struggled to keep up.
EAC held a comfortable lead for much of the second half until the final minute, when their advantage was cut to just five points.
After Harvey Pagsanjan’s layup went awry, Baste attacked in transition and drew a foul on King Gurtiza.
The referees then reviewed the previous possession with Pagsanjan’s own scoring attempt, calling an unsportsmanlike foul on the former UE Red Warrior and awarding four free throws to the Stags.
The free points turned the match into just a two-possession game with 39 seconds left, but the Generals found Wilmar Oftana on the other end for an open layup after the inbound to ice the game.
King Gurtiza showed the way for EAC, notching a career-high 27 points, five rebounds, four assists, and five triples.
His backcourt partner, Pagsanjan, was equally impressive with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
“Knowing Harvey, he is very aggressive. He works hard on his threes. Talagang nag-iimprove pa rin siya,” Cabiltes said about Pagsanjan.
Oftana recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards while also draining three triples, and Nico Quinal came off the bench with 11 points.
The Generals created a three-way tie for the fourth spot in the standings after the victory, joining Lyceum of the Philippines University and Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the tussle for the last Final Four slot.
They hope to break the tie in their next matchup against Jose Rizal University on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
For San Sebastian, Tristan Felebrico’s own career high was not enough to keep pace with the Generals’ firepower. Felebrico finished with 30 points and 11 boards. Reggz Gabat also had a career-high 21 points, while Are ended with 10 points, nine boards, and six assists.
The Stags fell to a 3-9 record, nestled at the bottom of the standings. They hope to turn their season around quickly against Letran on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.
The Scores:
Emilio Aguinaldo 101 – Gurtiza 27, Oftana 17, Pagsanjan 16, Quinal 11, Lucero 9, Luciano 5, Ochavo 3, Jacob 3, Bacud 3, Loristo 3, Doromal 2, Bagay 2, Angeles 0, Manacho 0
San Sebastian 94 – Felebrico 30, R. Gabat 21, Are 14, Escobido 9, L. Gabat 9, Ricio 6, Pascual 3, Velasco 2, Aguilar 0, Suico 0, Maliwat 0, Barroga 0, Cruz 0, Ramilo 0, Lintol 0
Quarterscores: 28-29, 55-51, 85-69, 101-94
