NCAA: San Beda escapes EAC to end crossover round with victory

MANILA, Philippines — San Beda University survived a late fourth-quarter rally pulled by Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), 89-86, to end the crossover round with a victory in the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Monday afternoon at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. The EAC Generals pulled a late 12-0 rally in the fourth quarter to take the lead and erase the nine-point lead of the San Bed Red Lions, 86-85, courtesy of EJ Castillo and Jude Bagay putting up the fight with one minute and 16 seconds remaining. However, Castillo committed an unsportsmanlike foul on RC Calimag, who took advantage of the opportunity and scored both of his free throws, 87-86. With four seconds remaining, Calimag made a trip to the charity stripe once more, sinking both of his free throws to give San Beda a three-point lead, 89-86. MJ Raymundo missed the game-tying shot that allowed San Beda to stretch its win streak over EAC to 28 games. The last time EAC won over San Beda was on Sept. 17, 2024. “We know EAC is going to go hard on the basket; that is something that we knew before heading to this game. But it’s different when you’re inside. We just...