The Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals showed their resilience and determination as they secured a thrilling victory over the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers in a closely contested match with a final score of 78-76, in the NCAA Season 99 men's basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Friday.
The Generals, who were coming off a 16-point loss to the league-leading Mapua Cardinals, bounced back with a hard-earned win, improving their season record to 5-3, tied at fourth place tied with JRU Heavy Bombers.
Leading the charge was EAC's big man, JP Maguliano, who delivered a double-double performance with 17 points and an impressive 12 rebounds.
The Blazers, led by their captain Robi Nayve, put up a strong fight scoring a game-high 23 points, 13 of which came in the first half.
Despite the red-hot shooting performance from CSB's Nayve, who connected on an impressive 5-of-6 shots from beyond the arc, EAC managed to hold on for the victory.
The Blazers, who now dropped to sixth place with a season record of 4-4, will face Colegio de San Juan de Letran in a finals rematch, while EAC is set to take on San Beda University in their next game on Sunday.
The Scores:
EAC 78 – Maguliano 17, Robin 16, Cosejo 12, Gurtiza 10, Ochavo 9, Tolentino 4, Ednilag 4, Angeles 3, Bacud 2, Quinal 1, Loristo 0, Cosa 0, Umpad 0, Luciano 0.
CSB 76 – Nayve 23, Corteza 15, Gozum 14, Sangco 8, Arciaga 6, Carlos 3, Oczon 3, Marasigan 2, Cajucom 1, Marcos 1, Turco 0, Jalalon 0, Jarque 0.
