Basketball
EAC defeats Perpetual to keep in pace with JRU
Emilio Aguinaldo College joined Jose Rizal University in ending their respective losing streaks on Monday as the Generals survived a furious Perpetual Help rally for a 77-71 victory in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at the Fil Oil-Flying V Arena.
The Generals caught fire from long range, firing 11 three-pointers, six of them in the second half as EAC took a commanding 57-35 lead in the late in the third quarter.
But the Altas, a team known for having plenty of fight, threatened to come back in the payoff period when Harold Arboleda scored a layup off an EAC turnover to pull within 74-71, under a minute to play.
However, the comeback fell short as Milan Vargas drove to the paint and dropped a pass to Jolas Paguia for a bucket and a 76-71 edge with seconds to go.
With the victory, EAC ended a five-game losing skid to remain tied with JRU for seventh at 4-9.
Like the Heavy Bombers, the Generals struggled heavily in their defeats, including a massive 119-64 loss to defending champion San Beda on Sept. 2.
“Parang binababoy kami sa game na yun. Nagself destruct kami,” said coach Gerry Esplana.
Franz Chiong had 19 points and Paguia added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the UN Avenue-based squad. The two drained four triples each.
Paguia ended the second quarter on a three-pointer for a 33-30 lead at the half.
Arboleda finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists and Jett Vidal and George Allen tallied 10 points each.
Vidal, however, shot just 3-of-13 from the three-point range. Allen grabbed 11 boards.
The scores:
EAC 77 – Chiong 19, Paguia 14, Cubo 12, Vargas 11, Jamon 11, Yaya 10, Morada 0, King 0, Villegas 0, Sanchez 0, Diolanto 0.
PERPETUAL 71 – Arboleda 12, Vidal 10, Allen 10, Alano 9, Thompson 8, Sison 8, Paulino 4, Sumera 4, Elopre 4, Asuncion 2, Tonggal 0, Jolangcob 0.
Quarters: 13-17; 33-30; 57-49; 77-71.
