PERPETUAL remained top dog in Group A of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament following a well-earned 69-60 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College at Playtime Filoil Centre on Wednesday.
The Altas followed up their 71-65 win over Jose Rizal University on Saturday, while also putting a stop to the Generals’ two-game win streak.
“Kailangan namin ng puhunan talaga, e,” coach Olsen Racela said. “Kailangan din namin mag-ingat sa complacency lalo na’t may mga kalaban kami na mabibigat na teams. As long as we stick to our system, especially on the defensive end, we’ll be ok.”
Perpetual led by three with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter, 60-57, before EAC’s Wilmar Oftana launched a long bomb to tie the game at 60-all, with 2:54 to go.
However, that would be the last gasp effort of the Generals, as the Altas went on a game-ending 9-0 run sparked by a John Abis short stab at the 2:38 mark of crunch time.
Abis finished two rebounds shy of a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds. Mark Gojo Cruz (12) and JP Boral (10) also combined for 22 points in the win that kept Perpetual well atop Group A with a 6-1 record.
Oftana’s 18-point outing was put to waste in EAC’s defeat that put them in a tie with the Heavy Bombers (3-4) in Group B with an identical record.
The Scores:
PERPETUAL 69 – Abis 15, Gojo Cruz 12, Boral 10, Nuñez 9, Sleat 7, Casinilio 5, Tulabut 4, Maglupay 3, Alcantara 2, Duremdes 2, Orgo 0, Pagulayan 0, Gelsano 0
EAC 60 – Oftana 18, Lucero 12, Bagay 10, Quinal 5, Angeles 5, Castillo 4, Loristo 3, Ochavo 2, Omandac 1, Bacud 0, Shanoda 0, Tolentino 0
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