MANILAS – Ralph Robin regained his offense in time as the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals pulled off a come-from-behind 80-77 victory over the San Sebastian College Golden Stags in NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball on Tuesday at the San Juan Arena.
Down by as much as 22 points in the opening half, the Generals slowly clawed its way back until Robin took over with 10 straight points, including back-to-back triples, to give the Generals a 76-72 lead.
The Stags cut the deficit to 77-79 behind two free throws by Alex Desoyo with 10.7 seconds left, but Robin’s split free throw secured the come-from-behind victory for the Generals.
Robin finished the contest with 13 points, with 11 coming in the final minutes of the game, to go with five assists as the Generals opened the second round of the competition with a 6-4 win-loss slate.
Graduating center JP Maguliano led the way for the Generals with a double-double performance of 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Nat Cosejo contributed 16 markers in the win.
Desoyo finished with 24 points, making an impressive 6 out of 10 three-pointers, while Tristan Felebrico had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Stags dropped to 3-7.
Meanwhile, Vince Cunanan came alive in the overtime period as Lyceum of the Philippines Pirates (7-3) pulled off a 99-96 victory over Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (6-4).
Trailing 88-93 with under two minutes left in the overtime period, Cunanan converted two free throws, a layup, and a three-pointer to give the Pirates a 95-94 advantage with under a minute to go.
The Heavy Bombers quickly reclaimed the lead at 96-95 via a layup by Jonathan Medina, but Cunanan found Enoch Valdez for a corner three-pointer as the Pirates surged ahead for good at 98-96 with 29 seconds left.
Cunanan finished with 20 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two steals, Valdez and Patrick Montano added 14 markers apiece while Shawn Umali, John Barba, and John Bravo contributed 13, 12, and 10 markers, respectively, for the Pirates./PN
BOX SCORE:
EAC 80- Maguliano 22, Cosejo 16, Robin 13, Angeles 8, Tolentino 6, Gurtiza 6, Ochavo 2, Balowa 2, Cosa 2, Umpad 2, Loristo 1, Bacud 0, Luciano 0, Quinal 0, Ednilag 0.
SSC-R 77- Desoyo 24, Felebrico 12, Sumoda 9, Castor 9, Escobido 6, Una 6, Are 4, Calaíta 4, Shanoda 2, Re. Gabat 1.
Quarterscores: 14-26; 34-50; 54-63; 80-77.
