Colegio de San Juan de Letran continued its hot start to the season, defeating Emilio Aguinaldo College, 91-80, in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Knights remained unbeaten at the top of Group B with a 3-0 record, while the Generals dropped to 0-3.
“Hindi mo naman makukuha yan ng first half. It’s all about the mental and physical toughness ng mga bata. That’s why nakakuha kami ng momentum,” said head coach Allen Ricardo.
After a tightly contested first half, Letran broke through midway through the third quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 53-46 lead. EAC quickly responded, however, outscoring the Knights, 10-2, to reclaim the advantage at 56-55 with 1:50 left in the period.
Following another back-and-forth exchange, the two teams entered the final frame tied at 61-all.
The fourth quarter proved to be a different story, as Letran held the Generals scoreless for the first three minutes while building a 71-61 advantage.
From there, the Knights continued to knock down shots from beyond the arc and kept EAC at bay until the final buzzer to preserve their unbeaten start.
Justin Cargo led Letran with a breakout 22-point performance.
“Syempre masaya. Pinagtrabauhan ko naman ng buo ‘yan. Sinusunod lang po namin ‘yung pinapagawa ng coaches namin lalo na ‘yung defense namin sa huli,” said Cargo.
Kevin Santos posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimboy Estrada and Denzil Walker chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Titing Manalili also turned in an all-around performance, finishing with seven points, five rebounds, and 14 assists.
The Knights held significant advantages in points off turnovers, 24-14, and fastbreak points, 25-17—two areas Ricardo identified as crucial to their victory.
“Nagkaroon kami ng forced turnovers leading to turnover points which is ‘yung biggest factor for the past two games,” he said.
For EAC, Wilmar Oftana posted a double-double of his own with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
MJ Raymundo and Jacob Shanoda scored 15 points apiece, while Jude Bagay added 13 points in the losing effort.
Letran will look to extend its winning streak on Monday, Sept. 28, when it faces Arellano University at 5:00 p.m. EAC, meanwhile, will take on San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 3:00 p.m.
Both games will be played at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Scores:
Letran 91 – Cargo 22, Estrada 15, Santos 12, Walker 11, Gammad 9, Buensalida 8, Manalili 7, Siena 5, Reyes 2, Diamante 0, Valdeavilla 0, Montecillo 0.
Emilio Aguinaldo 80 – M. Raymundo 15, Shanoda 15, Bagay 13, Oftana 12, Castillo 5, Bonus 5, Nunag 5, Ochavo 4, H. Raymundo 4, Lanceta 2, Coronel 0, Namoro 0, Sealey 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19, 43-39, 61-61, 91-80.
