Emilio Aguinaldo College strengthened its hold on third place in Group B with a 96-64 rout of San Sebastian in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament at San Juan Arena on Tuesday.
The Generals improved to 4-6, while keeping the Golden Stags winless after 11 games.
EAC’s MJ Raymundo, however, is not dwelling on the lopsided win, with the playoff race heating up and little separating the teams in the standings.
‘For me, this win adds up to our confidence but we can’t be happy about this,’ Raymundo said in Filipino after dropping 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.
‘It’s like we have to pass through the needle to even make it to the Playoffs. We have to manage our team better, stay together and start in practice.’
EAC is just a full game ahead of fourth-seeded Perpetual Help, which has a 3-7 record.
Under the league’s new format, the fourth seed will have to take on the fifth seed for a place in the quarterfinals, while the top three teams in each group advance directly.
Their latest win certainly helped the Generals’ cause, maintaining their position behind group leaders Letran (7-3) and Arellano (5-5).
Joseph Nunag scored 16 points for EAC, while EJ Castillo and Jude Bagay added 13 and 10, respectively.
Caesleyh Bacani led San Sebastian with 22 points in the loss. Arwin Alforque and Nurben Muktimar contributed 10 points apiece.