ALSO-ran Emilio Aguinaldo College continued its run of fine form late in the NCAA Season 95 basketball tournament, routing Arellano, 77-50, on Friday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
"We really want to play as a team because that’s the only time that we have a chance to train against the stronger teams," said coach Oliver Bunyi as EAC picked up its third win in five games to improve to a 4-13 record and match last season's win total.
Renz Gonzales led the balanced attack for the Generals with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench, while Adrian de Guzman added 12 points and seven boards.
Jethro Mendoza went 3-of-8 from deep and finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while JP Maguliano and Kriss Gurtiza both had eight points.
EAC broke away in the third quarter, outscoring Arellano, 27 to 13 to turn a 36-27 halftime lead to a commanding 63-40 advantage.
It was a confidence-boosting victory for the Generals as they enjoyed a lead as big as 29 in the battle of also-ran teams.
Kent Salado led the Chiefs with 14 points and five rebounds, while Justin Arana had 13 points and eight boards in the loss that dropped them to a 4-12 card.
The scores:
EAC 77 - Gonzales 13, De Guzman 12, Mendoza 11, Maguliano 8, Gurtiza 8, Taywan 7, Martin 6, Carlos 4, Boffa 2, Corilla 2, Dayrit 2, Luciano 2, Cadua 0, Estacio 0.
Arellano 50 -- Salado 14, Arana 13, Espiritu 7, Sablan 5, Bayla 4, Oliva 4, Gayosa 3, Alcoriza 0, Concepcion 0, De Guzman 0, Sacramento 0, Segura 0, Sunga 0, Talampas 0.
Quarterscores: 16-15; 36-27; 63-40; 77-50.