Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) was definitely inspired to play at the Mall of Asia (MoA) Arena for the first time in Season 100 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament last Tuesday.
Generals skipper King Gurtiza admitted that they were pumped up when they learned that they will see action in one of the country’s most modern venues that already hosted several big-time events like the FIBA World Cup last year and a National Basketball Association pre-season game in 2013.
The Generals’ excitement paid a handsome reward as they pulled off a 97-86 win over San Sebastian College to cap their first-round campaign with a 4-5 win-loss card.
“We were all pumped up in practice. We all wanted to show off our skills in our first game in the MoA Arena,” said Gurtiza, who registered 14 points, six rebounds, a steal, and a block against the Stags.
“The facilities here are complete and my teammates and I are happy we were able to get here.”
“It’s a great feeling playing here. It felt like we’re at the level of PBA players even for just one game.”
It is very rare for the country’s oldest collegiate league to play at the 15,000-seater facility at the heart of Pasay City.
In fact, the only time the NCAA plays at the cavernous venue is during its opening and championship matches, making it hard for the Generals to step on its court.
Gurtiza said they will do their best to reach the Final Four to, hopefully, get to experience playing at the MoA Arena anew.
“This is a big motivation for us. Getting to the Final Four is already a great feeling and I hope this motivates us to get to the Final Four so that we can play here again,” said Gurtiza, whose team has yet to reach the Final Four since entering the league as a guest team in 2009.
Aside from Gurtiza, also performing superbly for the Generals in their remarkable game at the MoA Arena were Harvey Pagsanjan, who fired a career-high 20 points on a sizzling 7-of-9 shooting from the field on top of three rebounds and two assists.
Interestingly, it was Pagsanjan’s second time to play at the MoA Arena. The first happened in 2022 when he was still donning the colors of University of the East in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.