By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals officially ended Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s four-peat bid after eliminating them from a Final Four contention, 82-69, in the ongoing NCAA Season 99 Seniors basketball tournament last November 3, 2023.
With the loss, the Generals just halted Letran’s three-year dominance in the NCAA and handed them their 11th loss of the season in 12 games.
EAC also dethroned Letran as the reigning NCAA kings and will have the chance for a playoff spot as they improved their record to 7-5.
The Generals completed their bounce-back performance after losing in a nail-biter against Lyceum last Saturday.
From the get-go, the Generals’ crisp ball movement was in full effect and dissected the loose Letran perimeter defense.
It was due to their tremendous team play that EAC got to a fast start led by the heroics of Nat Cosejo who finished the crucial game with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
JP Maguliano continued his efficient outing for the Generals after top-scoring EAC with 20 markers alongside nine rebounds and an assist.
Leading by seven points heading into the second half, 46-39, the Generals never looked back and pushed their advantage to as much as 17 points, 64-47, with only two minutes remaining in the third canto.
It was then all EAC in the final quarter as their inside-outside attack was just too much for the struggling Letran team.
Despite a failed NCAA campaign, Letran will still have six more games left and will have the chance to finish the season strong in preparation for next year.
