1 October 2019
By Maxine Louise Lagman
MANILA, Philippines – Emilio Aguinaldo College weathered a slow start to defeat University of Perpetual Help, 80-76, in the NCAA Season 95 men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.
With the win, the Generals improved to a 3-11 win-loss record as they had their first winning streak of the season after a 79-75 victory over San Sebastian College-Recoletos last week.
“I told them the reason we won against San Sebastian is because we stuck to our game plan,” EAC coach Oliver Bunyi said post-game. “Na-realize nila na we cannot win by talent and skills. We have to stick to the team concept.”
EAC trailed by as much as 14 points in the first quarter and were down by four, 39-35, in the first half. They inched within one point, 55-54, going into the fourth quarter. Perpetual scored seven unanswered points to open the payoff period, until Jethro Mendoza came alive for the Generals.
Mendoza sank a three-pointer that sparked an 11-3 run that tied the game at 65-all.
Jielo Razon answered back for the Altas, but Mendoza silenced them again with another three-pointer for a 68-67 advantage. EAC cruised to victory from there as Mendoza and Marwin Taywan knocked down back-to-back buckets to give the Generals a comfortable cushion all the way.
Mendoza led EAC with 22 points, five of which were triples. Kriss Gurtiza, though suffering from a knee strain, chipped in 13 markers, while JP Maguliano flirted with a double-double record of 11 points and nine rebounds.
On the other hand, Rey Peralta paced Perpetual with 21 points, while Edgar Charcos had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double as they dropped to a 3-10 win-loss record in the tournament.
The Scores:
EAC 80 – Mendoza 22, Gurtiza 13, Maguliano 11, Luciano 9, Taywan 7, Martin 7, De Guzman 6, Gonzales 4, Boffa 1, Cadua 0, Corilla 0, Dayrit 0, Carlos 0, Estacio 0
PERPETUAL 76 – Peralta 21, Charcos 14, Aurin 12, Razon 11, Adamos 8, Giussani 5, Cuevas 3, Martel 2, Labarda 0, Tamayo 0
Quarter scores: 13-24, 35-39, 54-55, 80-76
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