MANILA – Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals came up with huge hits in the overtime period and defeated Lyceum of the Philippines Pirates, 83-76, in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the San Juan Arena.
The Generals opened the extension period with back-to-back three-pointers from veteran guards King Gurtiza and Nat Cosejo as they jumped to an 80-74 advantage over the Pirates.
The Pirates managed to cut the deficit to 76-80 following a basket by MacLaude Guadana, but a jumper from Generals’ Ralph Robin with 21 seconds left sealed the win for the Generals.
Gurtiza top-scored for the Generals with 18 points, with two three-point conversions, to go with eight rebounds as they bounced back from two straight losses to improve to a 3-2 slate.
Cosejo contributed 14 points and seven rebounds; Robin and Nicole Quinal had 13 and 11 markers, respectively; and JP Maguliano contributed 16 rebounds and eight points for the Generals.
John Bravo tallied 18 points and nine rebounds, Guadana added 13 markers, and Enoch Valdez, John Barba, and Vince Cunanan had 12, 11, and 10, respectively, as the Pirates dropped to 6-1.
Meanwhile, Mapua University Cardinals kept defending champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights winless after a 77-71 beating. The Cardinals moved up to 5-1 as the Knights dropped to 0-6.
Leading by as much as 14 points at the half, the Cardinals suddenly saw their lead cut to 56-55 by a furious 20-7 scoring run by the Knights, but a layup by Clint Escamis and a triple by Marc Cuenco increased their lead to 64-57.
Mapua’s lead went up to 14 points anew, but Letran made its last push courtesy of Kevin Santos, Vince Cuajao, and Kurt Reyson to cut the deficit to 71-76, but a free throw by Cuenco secured the victory for the Cardinals.
Escamis tallied 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Cuenco registered a double-double record with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Cardinals recorded its fourth straight win./PN
BOX SCORE:
EAC 83 – Gurtiza 18, Cosejo 14, Robin 13, Quinal 11, Maguliano 8, Luciano 6, Cosa 5, Ochavo 2, Bacud 2, Tolentino 2, Umpad 2, Angeles 0, Balowa 0.
LYCEUM 76 – Bravo 18, Guadana 13, Valdez 12, Barba 11, Cunanan 10, Aviles 4, Verzosa 3, Montano 2, Penafiel 2, Omandac 1, Villegas 0.
Quarterscores: 18-17; 37-33; 62-53; 74-74; 83-76.
