Generals stay on course for Group B second seed
Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) spoiled the return of Letran star guard Titing Manalili with a 78-71 victory Thursday at San Juan Arena, keeping the Generals in contention for the second seed in Group B of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament.
EAC improved to 6-6, tying Arellano for second place, while Letran remained atop the group despite slipping to 8-4.
Jacob Shanoda led the Generals with 16 points and eight rebounds, bouncing back from a scoreless outing in their 92-89 overtime victory over Perpetual Help.
“In our last game against Perpetual, I went scoreless. Coach Jerson [Cabiltes] told me I needed to bounce back and not back down against the big men we’d face in our next games,” Shanoda said.
“I took that as a challenge, and it paid off today.”
EAC took a 45-37 halftime lead before opening the third quarter with an 11-6 run, capped by a Kyle Ochavo 3-pointer that stretched the advantage to 56-43.
The Generals carried a 63-51 lead into the fourth and pushed the margin to 17 points, 72-55, on an EJ Castillo jumper with 5:48 remaining.
EAC also drew contributions from its bench, with MJ Raymundo collecting 10 points and seven rebounds. Ochavo and Joseph Nunag added nine points apiece.
Manalili, returning from a sprained right knee that sidelined him for several games, finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes.
Jimboy Estrada and Aaron Buensalida scored 15 points each for the Knights, who retained the Group B lead despite the defeat.
