By: Miguel Marco
Jose Rizal University slipped past Emilio Aguinaldo College, 80-76, in a tense finish to secure a spot in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball quarterfinals on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Justin Lozano and Allan Laurenaria delivered when it mattered most, coming up with crucial defensive stops and fastbreak conversions that pushed the Heavy Bombers ahead, 78-73, with 42 seconds remaining — enough to close out the hard-earned victory.
The win sets up a knockout showdown against the twice-to-beat University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Thursday at 11:00 AM at the Mall of Asia Arena, with a semifinal berth on the line.
Lozano led JRU with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Stephen Garupil added 14 points and five boards. Laurenaria chipped in seven points and anchored the interior with eight rebounds and four blocks.
“Nung mga past games namin, lagi kami natatalo sa endgame because binibitawan namin sistema ni coach Nani (Epondulan). Then, niremind lang namin sila na huwag bibitaw sa sistema,” JRU assistant coach Juan Miguel Martin said postgame.
“Kailangan mag-execute hanggang dulo. Kailangan hindi bibitaw. Kasi nga, they’re very mature, they’re very ready for us. So, luckily binigay sa amin yung panalo,” he added.
Down 57-52 late in the third, JRU strung together an 8-3 run sparked by Garupil, Lozano, and Sean Salvador to take a 60-58 edge entering the fourth.
The Generals briefly regained control at 70-68, but back-to-back threes from Shawn Argente and Garupil swung momentum back to the Heavy Bombers, 74-72, with 1:39 left.
After a costly giveaway, Brianne Angeles scored off a miss by Wilmara Oftana to slice the deficit to 78-76. Still, JRU stood its ground in the final seconds to punch its quarterfinal ticket.
Argente finished with 12 points for JRU, while Salvador had 10.
“This is a very huge morale booster para sa amin. Kasi nga, wala naman nag-e-expect sa amin na nandito kami. They always look at us as the number 10 team. So then, ngayon, puro rookie pa. Siguro, bahala na kung anong mangyari sa game one against Perpetual,” Martin said.
Nico Quinal paced the Generals with 16 points, while EJ Castillo and Oftana added 14 and 13, respectively.
The Scores:
Jose Rizal 80 – Lozano 15, Garupil 14, Argente 12, Salvador 10, Laurenaria 7, Panapanaan 6, Duque 6, Benitez 6, Sarmiento 2, Herrera 2, Castillo 0, Penaverde 0
Emilio Aguinaldo 76 – Quinal 16, Castillo 14, Oftana 13, Angeles 9, Shanoda 8, Bagay 6, Lucero 5, Loristo 3, Omandac 1, Bacud 1, Ochavo 0, Jacob 0, Postanes 0
Quarterscores – 18-18, 38-42, 60-58, 80-76
