Close, but no cigar.
The College of Saint Benilde Blazers fought valiantly but again fell for the 17th straight time this season, 18th overall, after a heartbreaking 66-63 loss to the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, Tuesday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The 17th loss of the Blazers means they have suffered the most losses ever tallied in a single season.
On the other hand, the Generals had been playing without forward Sidney Onwubere (one game suspension) and Francis Munsayac (lower back contusion) in the game.
“Halos kinain kami sa rebounds, laking kawalan ni Sidney sa rebounds,” first year EAC head coach Ariel Sison said as Benilde held a 40-to-29 rebounding advantage against the Generals.
“Buti na lang nandiyan si [Jeric] Diego at Jervin [Guzman]. Nag-step up sila. Pinag-usapan namin kanina na sila ang dapat mag-step up,” he added as the two combined for 18 points in the game.
The Generals were up 62-53 with 2:14 left in the game after a three point play by Dan Corilla and free throws by Hamadou Laminou.
On a normal day, Saint Benilde would have just waved the white flag, but with their pride at stake, the Blazers fought back.
After coach Gabby Velasco called the team’s second to the last timeout, the Blazers went on a 9-1 rally. A triple by Carlo Young sparked the rally, while six straight points by sophomore Christian Fajarito sliced the EAC lead to just a solitary point, 63-62, with 26 ticks remaining.
“Kala namin tapos na yung game nung up kami ng seven points,” Sison shared. “Sabi ko hindi puwedeng ganun, kailangan talaga solid hanggang mag-buzzer.”
The Senegalese student-athlete was victimized, after a switch saw him face Jorem Morada on defense, resulting in a foul with 17.1 seconds remaining. The EAC senior calmly knocked down both free throws to put his team back up by three.
With no timeouts remaining, floor general Gerald Castor crossed the length of the floor but held the ball for too long. Young received the ball with little time left then threw a Hail Mary that barely hit the rim as time expired.
“Na-pressure kami siguro na baka kami pa ang unang magbigay ng panalo sa Benilde,” Sison closed.
“Hindi kami puwedeng matalo sa Benilde. Kulang pa kami kaya ganun naging resulta siguro pero hindi kami nag-uunderestimate ng kalaban.”
Morada led the Generals with 18 points, while Hamadou Laminou was limited to just 12 points and six rebounds. On the opposing end, Young paced the Blazers with 14 points on just 4-of-12 shooting. Leutcheu added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The EAC Generals (T-8th, 6-11) will play their final game of the season on Thursday, September 22, against the Letran Knights (6th, 8-9) at 4:00pm. On the other hand, the Saint Benilde Blazers (10th, 0-17) are hoping that they don’t end their season winless, facing the Lyceum Pirates (T-8th, 6-11) on Friday, September 23 at 12:00nn.
The Scores:
EAC (65) – Morada 18, Laminou 12, Diego 9, Guzman 9, King 5, General 5, Corilla 3, Mendoza 2, Pascua 2, Neri 0, Serrano 0, Aguas 0
CSB (62) – Young 14, Leutcheu 12, Dixon 10, Fajarito 8, Haruna 7, Suarez 4, Domingo 3, Castor 2, Belgica 2, Pasamante 0, Pajarillaga 0, Saavedra 0
Quarterscores: 15-16, 33-29, 49-42, 65-62
