Emilio Aguinaldo College escaped Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 75-70, in Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinals on Thursday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
The win evened the series at 1-1 and forced a rubber match on Sunday.
EAC started strong, outscoring Letran 26–11 in the opening period before taking a 41–23 lead at halftime.
However, a strong third-quarter run by the Squires led by Dhale Lumague and Justin Cargo, who scored seven and five points, respectively, of Letran’s 25 in the frame, trimmed the deficit to seven.
Letran continued to chip away at the lead and cut the gap to one, 71-70, after an Andwele Cabañero three-point play at the 0:39 mark but free throws from Clint Bonus and Xyriel Macahipay eventually sealed the victory for EAC.
Bonus delivered 20 points, six assists, five rebounds, five steals, and a block, while Macahipay posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and an assist to lead the Brigadiers. Kelly Coronel also impressed with 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block, while Tristan Allam added 10 points.
Cargo finished with 12 points, while Mico Pascual added 10. Lumague nearly tallied a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
