Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
12 p.m. — Saint Benilde vs Perpetual
2:30 p.m. — San Sebastian vs JRU
Since joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a guest team in 2009, Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) has never defeated San Beda University in a basketball game in the men’s division.
That was until Tuesday when the Generals pulled off a 68-55 upset over the Red Lions in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Generals jumped for joy as the buzzer sounded as they finally ended a 27-game losing streak against San Beda that spanned 15 years.
Head coach Jerson Cabiltes said this was a must-win for them as the Generals are coming off a sorry 77-55 loss against College of Saint Benilde last Saturday.
“We’re happy we were able to bounce back after our dismal performance against Saint Benilde. It’s a very good win because we needed this,” Cabiltes said.
“Yesterday, we had around four and a half hours of training and viewing sessions. We prepared well for this game, especially how to play defense against San Beda and who are the key players we need to look out for.”
With a sizable 36-23 lead at the start of the third quarter, EAC went on an 18-3 tear, capped by a triple from veteran guard Axel Doromal, with three minutes and 34 seconds left in the game, to pull away for good.
Paolo Bagay gave the Generals the biggest lead of the game at 29 points, 58-29, after sinking a layup in the 2:42-minute mark of the third quarter.
EAC buried 13 three-pointers in the game that keyed this win against the defending champions.
Harvey Pagsanjan led the Generals with 14 points while JC Luciano scored 12 of his 13 points from beyond the arc to tie San Beda with similar 2-2 win-loss records.
Yukien Andrada was the lone Lion to reach double digits with 12 points.
San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta said the team did not match the energy EAC exerted in the game and should be noted as they move forward from the heartbreaking loss.
“We have to give it to EAC, they were ready. We showed zero effort and energy, which should never happen in an NCAA game,” Escueta said.
“More than a wake-up call, this is a lesson learned for everyone, especially for the new guys. We won’t be taking breaks tomorrow until our next game.”
In the first game, Letran College got its second straight win after an 86-79 win over Arellano University.