Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
1:30 p.m. — Letran vs Arellano
3:30 p.m. — JRU vs EAC
Jose Rizal University clashes with Emilio Aguinaldo College with hopes of boosting its chances of marching into the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 99 seniors basketball tournament today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Holding on to a 9-5 win-loss record, the Heavy Bombers try to create more breathing room from the closest pursuer San Beda University in the 3:30 p.m. main game.
Meanwhile, dethroned champion Letran College battles another
also-ran squad in Arellano University in the 1:30 p.m. curtain-raiser.
JRU seeks to spark a winning run following a 79-74 win over the Knights last Saturday.
A repeat of the Heavy Bombers’ 77-71 victory over the Generals in their first round meeting last 4 October will pull them up to a tie at third spot with last year’s runner-up College of Saint Benilde.
However, JRU assistant coach Alex Callueng reminded his players to guard against complacency against a very dangerous EAC side, which is also very much in the chase for a semis seat.
“Going into the game we always remind our players to respect the opposing team. We’ve already seen games where we were up big only to lose in the end,” Callueng said.
Agem Miranda is expected to lead JRU to another victory after scoring 17 points in the last outing.
The Generals, on the other hand, are also in the thick of the battle for a semis berth, sitting on a share of sixth with University of Perpetual Help System Dalta with identical 8-7 cards.
For EAC mentor Jerson Cabiltes, he wants the team to be in control of its fate.
“I told my players that we have to take care of our own business, which means we have to win our remaining games,” said Cabiltes as he plots to put EAC into the semifinals for the first time since joining the country’s oldest collegiate league in 2009.
“We also have to hope that the teams we’re chasing will lose their games but that won’t work if we don’t win our matches.”
The Generals are fresh from a 77-64 drubbing of the Chiefs last Saturday with King Gurtiza leading the way with 23 points.
