By CARLO ANOLIN
Sunday turned out to be the day of the underdogs jn the NCAA Season 98.
Up against league-leader College of St. Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College did the unthinkable, pulling off a shock 80-75 win to finally barge into the win column after 9 failed bids at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
EAC’s capped the day of reversals as the Mapua Cardinals earlier stunned second-seeded Lyceum Pirates, 62-59.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair from the get-go as EAC showed resistance despite several adversities that the team is facing, having been the league’s cellar-dweller the entirety of the first round as well the recent full-time suspension of guards Ralph Robin and King Gurtiza.
St. Benilde only led by as many as eight points and it all boiled down to the last five minutes of the payoff period as the likes of JP Maguliano, Nat Cosejo, Ralph Bajon, and Adrian Balowa took charge for EAC.
Hard work paid off for the more determined Cosejo, who was recently hailed as the Most Valuable Player in the GMA-NCAA All-Star Game, as he led all scorers with 24 points on an 11-of-17 shooting and nine rebounds.
Bajon scored 16 points along with three rebounds and two steals while Balowa and Allen Liwag had 10 points apiece with six and three rebounds, respectively.
After a 70-all deadlock in the last three minutes, Robi Nayve tried to stop the bleeding for the Blazers after hitting a three-pointer off an isolation play for a 73-70 lead.
But the Generals, behind the efforts of Cosejo, Bajon, and Balowa, unloaded a mini 6-0 run to counter whatever was left in the tank for the Blazers with 1:27 left.
Will Gozum, in the ensuing play, found Mark Sangco cutting inside the paint as the latter converted a basket en route to a 76-75 deficit.
But it proved to be the last significant shot for the top squad as Cosejo pulled off a clutch one-hander floater with 48.7 seconds remaining to heave a sigh of relief on behalf of the gritty Generals.
Migs Oczon had the chance for the equalizer but he missed a crucial three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Art Cosa in the next possession.
The scores:
EAC 80 — Cosejo 24, Bajon 16, Balowa 10, Liwag 10, Maguliano 6, Cosa 5, Dominguez 5, Ad. Doria 4, Quinal 0, Luciano 0, An. Doria 0, Tolentino 0.
CSB 75 — Gozum 19, Nayve 13, Pasturan 11, Corteza 8, Oczon 6, Sangco 6, Lim 6, Cullar 2, Carlos 2, Marcos 2, Flores 0, Mara 0, Lepalam 0, Davis 0.
Quarters: 19-18, 39-40, 57-59, 80-75.
