Justin Cargo picked a good time to have his best game of the season. The forward dropped a breakout 22 points as the Letran Knights held off the EAC Generals, 91-80, on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. The win kept the Knights unbeaten atop Group B at 3-0, whie EAC fell to 0-3 in the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The game stayed tight through the first half before Letran finally cracked it open midway through the third quarter, ripping off a 7-0 run to take a 53-46 lead. EAC answered immediately, though, firing back with a 10-2 run of its own to reclaim the lead at 56-55 with 1:50 left in the period. The back-and-forth continued right up to the buzzer, with the two teams entering the fourth quarter tied at 61-all.
Letran Tightens Up on Defense
That’s when Letran’s defense took over. The Knights held EAC scoreless for the first three minutes of the fourth, building a 71-61 cushion, then kept knocking down threes to hold the Generals at arm’s length the rest of the way.
“Hindi mo naman makukuha yan ng first half. It’s all about the mental and physical toughness ng mga bata. That’s why nakakuha kami ng momentum,” said head coach Allen Ricardo.
Cargo’s performance was the headline. “Syempre masaya. Pinagtrabauhan ko naman ng buo ‘yan. Sinusunod lang po namin ‘yung pinapagawa ng coaches namin lalo na ‘yung defense namin sa huli,” he said. Kevin Santos added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimboy Estrada and Denzil Walker chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively. Titing Manalili rounded out a balanced attack with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 14 assists.
Knights Win Numbers Game
Ricardo pointed to two specific numbers as the difference-makers: Letran’s edge in points off turnovers, 24-14, and fastbreak points, 25-17. “Nagkaroon kami ng forced turnovers leading to turnover points which is ‘yung biggest factor for the past two games,” he said.
Wilmar Oftana posted his own double-double for EAC with 12 points and 10 rebounds. MJ Raymundo and Jacob Shanoda each scored 15, and Jude Bagay added 13 in the loss.
Letran looks to extend the streak against the Arellano Chiefs on Monday, September 28, at 5:00 p.m., while EAC faces the San Sebastian Golden Stags on Tuesday, September 29, at 3:00 p.m. Both games are set for the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
