The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals weathered a close encounter with the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 78-76, on Friday in the 99th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil-EcoOil Arena.
Split charities from JP Maguilano and King Gurtiza in the last 8.6 seconds allowed the Generals to secure the win at endgame.
Maguilano fired a game-high 17 points for the Generals for their third straight victory in a 5-3 win-loss slate that moved them to a tie for third place.
The Blazers, with Robi Nayve making 23 points, fell behind at 4-4.
EAC snapped the three-game winning streak of the Blazers.
The contest was tied at 73-all when Nicole Quinal split his charity shot to put EAC slightly ahead, 74-73, with 1:49 left.
“We made some adjustments in our defense, half court press ‘yun, ‘yung time na nakahabol kami,” said EAC coach Jerson Cabiltes as the Generals are now in a strong position for a Final Four than in previous season.