Arellano Chiefs open the NCAA Season 98 on a high note. –INQUIRER PHOTO/TRISTAN TAMAYO
MANILA, Philippines—Arellano held off a pesky Emilio Aguinaldo College, 63-58, in the first game of NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament at Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
After figuring in a nip-and-tuck affair in the first three quarters, the Chiefs hounded the Generals in the payoff period, limiting them to just 11 points.
“From the first until the third quarter, we rotated. Come the fourth, we had to control with man-to-man [defense]. Whoever we needed in the team in the fourth, we also put in,” Arellano head coach Cholo Martin.
The game was tied at 55-all with 2:26 left to play until Neil Tolentino and Shane Menina converted buckets to put Arellano ahead, 59-55.
The Generals had a chance to force the game to overtime with 11 seconds left, 61-58, but Ralph Robin missed a heavily contested triple with five seconds remaining.
Axel Doromal iced the game for Arellano, sinking two free throws in the clutch to help the Chiefs open the season on a high note. He finished with 13 points.
Tolentino and Menina tallied 15 and 10 points, respectively, to lead Arellano.
The Generals shot lowly from the field, sinking only 23 of their 73 attempts or 31.5 percent. They were also limited to just two triples for the whole game.
Allen Liwag had a double-double in a losing effort for the Generals with 12 markers and 13 rebounds. Nat Cosejo scored 10 in the Generals’ first defeat.