By: Miguel Caramoan
Colegio de San Juan de Letran finally broke through, closing out Round 1 of the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament’s Group B with an 84-80 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The win not only ensured that every team in Group B recorded at least one victory, but it also gave the Knights a boost of confidence as they gear up for their crossover games against Group A squads starting next week.
Deo Cuajao played a pivotal role, scoring 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc to ignite the Knights’ offense after a sluggish start in the opening quarter.
He also sank two crucial triples in the fourth quarter to help Letran pull away from the Generals.
Orchestrating the attack was Jonathan Manalili, who recorded a stellar double-double with 12 points and 13 assists, along with six rebounds and four steals.
Kevin Santos capitalized on sharp ball movement, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds on 62.5% shooting, while Aaron Buensalida contributed a double-double of 12 points and 11 boards.
“Well, they are very skillful and I’m blessed with that. But syempre, at the end of the day, yung cohesiveness and chemistry, it will take some time. Yung kagandahan nga nito, medyo maganda din yung tournament format natin, so I’m hoping na little by little mag-peak na rin yung team namin,” Letran head coach Allen Ricardo said.
The result did not come easily, as EAC kept the game tight throughout the third quarter and into the early part of the fourth.
Letran seemed ready to pull away after Chad Gammad buried back-to-back triples to give the Knights a 58-51 lead in the third period.
However, the Generals responded with an 8-0 run, capped by a Cris Shanoda basket inside the paint, to take a 59-58 advantage with 1:30 left in the quarter.
But midway through the fourth, Letran’s depth took over.
Timely baskets from Cuajao, Buensalida, Jimboy Estrada, and Peter Rosillo helped the Knights seize a 76-68 lead with 5:11 remaining.
Their defense also tightened, holding EAC scoreless from the field after Nico Quinal’s triple cut the deficit to 76-71 with 4:09 left.
The Generals wouldn’t make another field goal until Quinal’s second three-pointer with just 31 seconds remaining, which came too late to change the outcome.
“Sabi ko sa mga bata na walang madali, so talagang tatrabahuhin natin yan. Yung mga lapses namin from the first three games, kailangan ma-correct namin or ma-minimize namin, and so be it. Nakuha ko naman yung resulta na gusto ko makuha sa kanila,” Ricardo added.
Jun Roque missed his second consecutive game due to a shoulder injury.
Letran aims to make it two straight wins when they face the still-unbeaten University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Wilmar Oftana scored 11 of his 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc but went scoreless in the final quarter. Quinal also contributed 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists for EAC.
Meanwhile, the Generals will look to bounce back against another team coming off a loss – the San Beda Red Lions – on Tuesday, also at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
Letran 84 – Cuajao 23, Santos 15, Manalili 12, Buensalida 12, Estrada 8, Gammad 6, Omega 4, Rosillo 3, Tapenio 1, Gazzingan 0
Emilio Aguinaldo 80 – Oftana 16, Quinal 16, Ochavo 12, Bagay 12, Castillo 7, Omandac 6, Lucero 4, Shanoda 4, Angeles 3, Loristo 0, Tolentino 0, Doria 0, Jacob 0, Bacud 0, Devara 0
Quarterscores: 23-21, 43-38, 63-61, 84-80
