Bong Quinto notches another triple-double as Letran ends round with back-to-back wins

For the second straight game, Bong Quinto vented his ire on another victim.

The burly fifth-year forward dropped his second straight triple-double, powering the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights to a 76-56 romping of the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals Friday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

The win lifts the Knights to a 6-3 record – half a game ahead of the CSB Blazers for fourth place in the NCAA Season 94 Seniors Basketball Tournament. EAC, on the other hand, ended the round in eighth place with a 2-7 slate.

“Siyempre malaking bagay ito sa amin going into the second round. But still, kailangan pa namin magtrabaho. Hindi naman namin makukuha yung panalo sa pagiging confident,” said third-year Knights head coach Jeff Napa.

Quinto – who had 12 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Mapua Cardinals last August 21 – tallied 11 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. The Letran lifer also had two assists.

“Bong Quinto is truly our leader. He is setting an example kaya nagiging maganda takbo namin,” Napa remarked about his skipper. “If Bong plays well, everybody plays well. Ang maganda ay inaccept na niya yung pagiging leader ng team.”

“Siyempre, ‘pag nage-enjoy ang coach namin sa pagturo sa amin, nage-enjoy din kami maglaro,” Quinto added.

With Quinto steering the wheel, the Knights blasted the Generals in the second frame, limiting their opponents to just 12 points.

Letran’s surge continued in the final frame, with Fran Yu leading the bench mob. The Knights would lead by as much as 23 points in the last 10 minutes of the contest to leave EAC grasping.

“Sa akin kasi, I give confidence kay Bong hanggang sa last player sa team namin. Kaya siguro siya sinusuportahan ng mga teammates niya,” Napa expressed.

Bonbon Batiller had a team-high 17 points. Larry Muyang added eight points and nine rebounds.

Hamadou Laminou tallied a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but shot just 7-for-21 from the field. Jerome Garcia chipped in 11 markers but needed 15 attempts to do so.

Surprisingly, EAC won the rebounding battle, 53-42. But the Generals shot just 32 percent from the field.

The Scores:

CSJL 76 – Batiller 17, Quinto 11, Balanza 9, Calvo 9, Muyang 8, Yu 7, Agbong 5, Fajarito 4, Ambohot 2, Banez 2, Mandreza 2, Balagasay 0, Celis 0, Galvelo 0, Taladua 0.

EAC 56 – Laminou 18, Garcia 11, Tampoc 9, Bautista 6, Cadua 4, Cruz 4, Fuentes 2, Neri 2, Diego 0, Gonzales 0, Maguliano 0, Mendoza 0, Natividad 0.

Quarterscores: 14-17, 43-29, 57-46, 76-56.