THE Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals pulled out one of the biggest upsets in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup when they routed hitherto unbeaten Adamson University (AdU), 76-73, in overtime.
EAC point guard Francis Munsayac hit two free throws with 1:05 left to break a 70-all deadlock. He found himself with a clear path to the basket when the Falcons got confused on defense and double-teamed Sidney Onwubere by the three-point arc. Then former Adamson gunner Jerome Garcia, now with EAC, hit the last two free throws for the match’s final points.
The Generals led for much of the first half but the Falcons stormed back late in the second period when they went to their third five.
Onwubere scored seven points including what seemed to be a game winner when he drilled a triple over Adamson’s Sean Manganti for a 64-61 lead with 6.6 seconds left. Falcons point guard Rob Manalang responded with a trey to send the match into overtime.
Unfortunately, the Falcons lost their way when forward Tyrus Hill fouled Munsayac unnecessarily. That sent the veteran guard to the free throw line to make it 72-70. In Adamson’s next possession, Jerrick Ahanmisi lost the ball to EAC center Laminou Hamadou. And that led to Munsayac’s late-game heroics.
“We wanted to win this game for Jerome [Garcia],” EAC Head Coach Ariel Sison said.
EAC’s Big Three of Onwubere, Laminou and Munsayac scored 23, 21 and 13 points respectively, while Rob Manalang led Adamson with 15. Four Falcons in Manganti, Ahanmisi, and Sarr each scored 11.
The Generals won their first match of the tourney, while Adamson lost its first in six matches.
In other Premier Cup matches, the San Sebastian Golden Stags looked to have turned a new leaf in their second season under former-player-turned-coach Edgar Macaraya. After dropping its opening assignment to Adamson by three points, the Golden Stags waylaid three consecutive opponents in impressive fashion—College of Saint Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College and now, Mapua, 76-63, in the Flying V Premier Cup.
Forward Michael Calisaan, playing on the first year anniversary of a horrific motorcycle accident that sidelined him for a few weeks last year, scored on a lay-up to beat the halftime buzzer giving SSCR a 29-28 lead they would not surrender.
Macaraya’s boys intesified the defensive pressure in the second half as they harried Mapua into 10 turnovers in which they converted all into baskets for 20 points. With graduating forward Jerick Fabian playing a point forward role for the Golden Stags, he repeatedly beat his slowed guard for lay-ups.
The closest Mapua could trim the lead was nine points, 69-60, with 2:19 left in the game. However, San Sebastian was relentless in its attack inside as Alvin Capobres and Fabian combined for a 7-4 finishing kick.
Sab Sebastian climbed to 3-1 in Group B of the Filoil Fyling V Premier Cup while Mapua, despite having a bunch of veterans on its roster, fell to a shocking 0-5 hole. Laurence Victoria topscored with 18 points while Andrew Estrella backed him up with 16 points before fouling out with 1:38 left.
Calisaan led San Sebastian 16 points and 10 rebounds while Fabian added 15.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza