Emilio Aguinaldo College spoiled Titing Manalili’s return from a five-game injury absence, keeping its twice-to-beat quarterfinals incentive within reach with a 78-71 victory over Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
With the win, EAC moved into a tie with Arellano University for second place in the Group B standings, with both teams holding identical 6-6 records.
The Generals can secure an outright quarterfinals berth with a victory over Arellano in their final elimination-round assignment on Monday, Nov. 9, at 5:00 p.m. EAC can also advance with a loss, provided the margin does not exceed four points.
The Knights, meanwhile, retained their hold on the top spot in Group B and secured an outright quarterfinals berth despite dropping to an 8-4 record with one game remaining in their schedule.
Manalili came off the bench in Thursday’s matchup, marking his return after nearly a month on the sidelines due to a sprained knee he sustained against Lyceum of the Philippines University on Oct. 8. The returning guard finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 20 minutes and 31 seconds of action.
Meanwhile, Jacob Shanoda bounced back from a scoreless outing against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Oct. 30, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
“Last game po kasi namin, talagang na-zero against Perpetual. Sabi ni Coach Jerson (Cabiltes), ‘Kailangan bumawi and ‘di na ako magpapatinag sa ibang big man na makakalaban namin in these upcoming games,” said Shanoda.
“Tinake ko lang din as a challenge and nagbunga namin din ngayon,” he added.
Neither squad managed to establish a sizable cushion in the first half, but EAC broke away in the third quarter with a 16-8 run, capped by Wilmar Oftana’s triple that gave the Generals a 61-45 advantage.
The Knights refused to go quietly, responding with six unanswered points as Jimboy Estrada drained a triple to cut the deficit to 10, 61-51.
EAC quickly reasserted control, capitalizing on Letran’s shooting struggles as EJ Castillo knocked down a pull-up midrange jumper to stretch the lead to 17, 68-51.
Letran mounted one final push through its full-court pressure, with Kevin Santos coming up with a steal and setting up Justin Cargo for a fast-break layup to trim the deficit to 11, 72-61, with four minutes remaining.
The Generals promptly snuffed out the Knights’ late rally as Jude Bagay buried a triple to restore their 13-point cushion, 76-63, with 2:45 left.
Bagay chipped in 12 points and three rebounds, while MJ Raymundo contributed 10 points and seven boards for the Generals.
For Letran, Jimboy Estrada and Aaron Buensalida led the Knights with 15 points apiece, while Justin Cargo added nine points and two steals in the losing effort.
Letran will look to close out the third round on a winning note when it faces Perpetual on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 3:00 p.m. at the same venue.
The Scores:
Emilio Aguinaldo 78 – Shanoda 16, Bagay 12, Raymundo M. 10, Ochavo 9, Nunag 9, Oftana 8, Castillo 8, Raymundo H. 4, Coronel 2, Bonus 0. Sealey 0, Lanceta 0.
Letran 71 – Estrada 15, Buensalida 15, Cargo 9, Manalili 8, Walker 7, Gammad 7, Santos 6, Hugo 2, Reyes 2, Montecillo 0.
Quarterscores: 21-17, 45-37, 63-51, 78-71.
