Generals keep semis bid alive

LYCEUM’S John Azores is literally all over Jean Hiole Manga (front) of Emilio Aguinaldo during yesterday’s game. AUGUST DELA cRUZ

Brilliant in the first three periods, Emilio Aguinaldo College weathered a late uprising by Lyceum to hammer out a 71-63 triumph last night and sustain its Final Four push in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

With Remy Morada catching fire early, the Generals built enough cushion to hold off the Pirates and move within a game and a half off the idle San Sebastian Stags, who currently hold the No. 4 spot.

Averaging just five points going into the game, Morada finished with 21 points on top of six rebounds and five steals, while Jolas Paguia wound up with 18, including nine in the final period.

The Generals watched their 16-point lead get whittled down to four at 64-60, before Paguia converted a three-point play with 59 seconds remaining.

Paguia then buried four free throws in the last 25 seconds to ice the Generals’ seventh victory in 14 games.

“We’re glad we had that cushion going into the fourth quarter,” said coach Gerry Esplana, whose squad moved within a win of its total from last season when it finished sixth.

The Generals have won six of their last eight games and Esplana said his team is peaking at the right time.

The Pirates—the only team to have beaten San Beda and Letran this season—trimmed the deficit to four points after two free throws from John Azores and a three-pointer by Mark Francisco before Paguia responded, scoring the Generals’ last seven points.

“We couldn’t count out Lyceum because they are giant killers. But I’m happy because our fate is in our hands,” said Esplana. “We just have to take it one game at a time. The important thing is that they know they have a chance at the Final Four and they believe they can compete.”

Picking up from where they left off in the victory over Letran where they hit nine triples in the second half, the Generals got off to a blistering start with five triples in the first period with Morada knocking in four treys.

The two teams combined for 56 turnovers with the Generals committing 29. But the Pirates shot just 33 percent from the floor and made just one three-pointer, six less than the Generals.

The scores:

First Game

EAC 71—Morada 21, Paguia 18, Jamon 14, Noube 13, King 3, Hiole Manga 1, Tayongtong 1, Munsayac 0, Onwubere 0, Arquero 0.

LYCEUM 63—Mbomiko 15, Zamora 13, Ko 12, Azores 8, Francisco 7, Lacastesantos 4, Mendoza 2, Garcia 2, Baltazar 0, Taladua 0, Lesmoras 0.

Quarters: 21-17, 40-33, 52-39, 71-63