Letran escaped with a 72-68 win and kept the gritty Emilio Aguinaldo College side winless to finish its first-round campaign on a high note in the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Knights showed poise down the stretch as the likes of Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillonar, and Kobe Monje made key free throws en route to a 6-3 record.
King Caralipio led with 16 points and seven rebounds, Brent Paraiso posted 15 points and nine rebounds, while Reyson chalked up 13 points built on three treys along with three rebounds for Letran.
The defending champion also survived the late-game comeback of EAC courtesy of Adrian Balowa's feisty three-pointer from the left wing with 1:04 remaining to cut the deficit down to two only, 70-68.
A costly traveling violation on Caralipio pumped life for the Generals as JP Maguliano and Adam Doria joined forces for the double-team to corner Letran's top scorer.
Allen Liwag's one-hander in the ensuing play, which could have tied the game, however, went too strong off the glass and rattled out of the basket.
The Knights took another crucial possession at their hands but Fran Yu, who also delivered on both ends of the floor with seven points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals, missed a jumper off an isolation play with 14 seconds left.
Maguliano, on the other end, turned the ball over in the next play for the Generals with 4.1 seconds left which ultimately put them in peril as Reyson iced the game with a pair of free throws for the win.
Ralph Bajon fired the last shot for EAC but also missed and even if it went in, time won't be on the Generals' side anymore.
Liwag's 20 points and seven rebounds went into naught as the embattled Generals fell to a 0-8 hole.
Doria also had 16 points and three rebounds while Balowa finished with 15 points on top of three triples to go with five rebounds for EAC.
The Scores:
LETRAN 72 -- Caralipio 16, Paraiso 15, Reyson 13, Yu 7, Monje 6, Javillonar 5, Santos 4, Sangalang 2, Olivario 2, Go 2, Bautista 0, Guarino 0.
EAC 68 -- Liwag 20, Ad. Doria 16, Balowa 15, Bajon 6, Maguliano 6, Cosejo 4, Angeles 1, Luciano 0, Quinal 0, An. Doria 0, Umpad 0, Bacud 0, Dominguez 0.
Quarters: 28-18, 43-37, 58-54, 72-68.