By Ricky Manliguis
SAN JUAN—Enter
Jeo Ambohot and Jeremiah Taladua.
Banking on
its prized transferees, Letran fought back in style as it nipped Emilio
Aguinaldo College, 83-80, for its first win in Season 93 of the NCAA men’s
seniors basketball tournament Tuesday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Trailing
12-28 in the first 10 minutes of the match, the Season 91 champions staged a mighty
comeback as Taladua and Ambohot fired 21 of the team’s 29 points in the second
frame to trim the deficit to just 41-43 at the half.
The rabid onslaught
continued in the second half, with Letran even taking a 74-65 cushion in the
fourth. Jerome Garcia fired back-to-back triples as the Generals mounted a
late-game surge, 80-77, 8.4 ticks left.
But Sidney Onwubere was slapped with an
unsportsmanlike foul that sealed EAC’s doom.
The win
eased the pain for the Knights after its heart-breaking loss at the hands of Mapua
last week. They improved to an even 1-1 card.
Former
Lyceum Pirate Taladua scored all his 14 points in the second canto on 6-of-9 shooting.
Ambohot, on the other hand, issued a 15-point, seven-rebound, two-block game.
The 6-foot-6
former volleyball player’s pesky defense on EAC behemoth Hamadou Laminou also
proved vital, as the Cameroonian slotman was held to just seven points on a
dismal 1-of-7 from the field.
Usual
suspects Rey Nambatac and Bong Quinto both finished with 14 markers, with JP
Calvo converted three free throws for nine markers.
The Generals,
which fell to 1-1, got 22 points from Francis Munsayac, even as Onwubere
fashioned out a double-double of 20 and 17 boards.
Box Scores:
Letran
83–Ambohot 15, Nambatac 14, Quinto 14, Taladua 14, Calvo 9, Balanza 8,
Pamulaklakin 4, Balagasay 3, Vacaro 2, Gedaria 0, Bernabe 0
EAC 80–Munsayac 22, Onwubere 20, Garcia 13,
Bautista 11, Laminou 7, Mendoza J 3, Pascua 2, Guzman 2, Diego 0, Mendoza I 0,
Corilla 0, Neri 0
Quarterscores: 12-28; 41-43; 58-54; 83-80
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