Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 24) – Arellano University Chiefs joined the fracas in the fight for the last two play-in spots in NCAA Season 97 after dominating the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 70-55, on Sunday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
With the game result, Arellano and EAC now have an identical 3-5 record and are part of a four-way logjam in fifth place with San Sebastian College-Recoletos and University of Perpetual Help that played in the first game on Sunday.
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The play-in round, which involves teams ranked third to sixth teams after the single-round eliminations, will determine the two other Final Four qualifiers.
The Chiefs again drew another all-around game from reliable big man Justin Arana, who finished with season-high 21 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Right from the get-go, Arellano pounced on EAC on both offensive and defensive ends of the floor to tally a 44-30 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Generals fought back to erase their double-digit deficit with Marwin Taywan unleashing his scoring exploits as they trailed 47-55.
Arellano brought back to life in the fourth period with Arana and Gelo Sablan leading the scoreline as the Legarda-based dribblers limited EAC to just eight points in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
“We really want to win in this match. I always tell my teammates to treat every game as our last, so we need to help each other to keep our play-in chances alive,” said Arana, who holds a slight lead in the race for the Most Valuable Player award.
Ralph Robin notched 13 points while Taywan had 12 points for the Generals.
Arellano will face Jose Rizal University in their crucial last eliminations game on Wednesday, while EAC will tangle with fellow fifth place Perpetual Help on Friday noon.
The Scores:
ARELLANO 70 – Arana 21, Sablan 12, Sta. Ana 8, Doromal 8, Steinl 8, Concepcion 8, Oliva 3, Cruz 2, Caballero 0.
EAC 55 – Robin 13, Taywan 12, Maguliano 9, Cosejo 5, Liwag 5, Gurtiza 4, Cadua 3, Luciano 2, Ad. Doria 2, Cosa 0, Fuentes 0, Bunyi 0.
Quarterscores: 17-14, 44-30, 55-47, 70-55.
