THE ARELLANO University Chiefs paid back the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, 78-70, in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament yesterday at the Arena in San Juan City.
The Chiefs, who drew a game-high 23 points from Adrian Celada, improved to 4-7, while also avenging their 77-84 defeat to the Generals in the first round.
Celada led the Chiefs’ endgame surge, making two freebies and scoring on a jumper in the middle of an 8-0 spurt that wiped out the Generals’ 60-58 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Up 66-60, the Chiefs then denied the Generals any chance for a comeback by scoring 14 straight free throws from there to seal the win. Mark Doligon and Vergel Zulueta added 14 points apiece for Arellano.
Isaac will miss the Chiefs’ next two games and left for the United States last night to observe the basketball program of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and to scout prospective recruits in the two-day Filipino American cagefest to be held in Houston, Texas./Correspondent Jonas Panerio