Wilmar Oftana caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting five of six three-pointers to lead Emilio Aguinaldo College past Arellano University, 84-73, on Friday in NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball at the Filoil Centre.
Oftana finished with 19 points, built on five triples, and was perfect from the free throw line (4-of-4). He also had two rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block as EAC improved to 2-3, snapping a two-game losing streak.
The Generals pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring Arellano 24-14, then stretched their lead to as many as 20, 75-55, following a 7-0 run capped by a Brianne Angeles layup at the 7:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
EAC managed to hold off a late 7-0 surge by the Chiefs after EJ Castillo's basket at the 1:41 mark.
For head coach Jerson Cabiltes, the win was a much-needed one to keep up in competition.
"We played with a lot of intensity. We know the value of this game kasi right now, we are at the bottom of the standings. I reminded the boys, if we lose today, talagang mababaon kami so we need to get this win in order for us to stay afloat," he said.
Aside from Oftana, Brianne Angeles added 15 points, while Jude Bagay and Jacob Shanoda chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.
The win spoiled a 24-point outburst from Renzo Abiera, while T-Mc Ongotan added 13 for Arellano, which dropped to 2-3.
Scores:
EAC 84 – Oftana 19, Angeles 15, Bagay 12, Shanoda 11, Bacud 7, Castillo 7, Ochavo 3, Quinal 3, Lucero 2, Postanes 2, Devara 2, Villarente 1, Omandac 0, Loristo 0, Tolentino 0.
Arellano 73 – Abiera 24, Ongotan 13, Libang 7, Cabotaje 7, Geronimo 6, Valencia 4, Camay 4, Hernal 2, Vinoya 2, Langit 2, Borromeo 1, Acop 1, Buenaventura 0, Anama 0.
Quarters: 25-23, 49-37, 66-52, 84-73.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
