23-06-2025
Filoil: Arellano escapes San Beda for back-to-back wins
Arellano University held off a furious late rally by San Beda University to escape with a hard-fought 73-70 victory in the 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Monday.
The Chiefs built a crucial 72-67 lead in the last 20 seconds of the fourth period after back-to-back baskets from T-mc Ongotan and Ernjay Geronimo.
But Penny Estacio was quick to atone for a previous miss from downtown, sinking a huge three-pointer off a Nygel Gonzales pass to cut The Red Lions' deficit to two, 70-72, with five ticks left.
Geronimo then calmly split his charities after grabbing a foul from Ismael Culdora, sealing the victory for the Chiefs.
King Vinoya led the charge off the bench after pouring in 13 points laced with three rebounds while Ongotan and Yuan Camay chipped in 11 and 10 markers each as the Chiefs cruised to their second consecutive win for an improved 3-3 card.
The Red Lions, who have just wrapped up their Spain training camp in preparation for NCAA Season 101, fell to 1-2 record.
New recruit Agjanti Miller proved his worth despite the loss, posting a double-double effort of 20 points and 11 rebounds together with three assists and two steals while Estacio tallied 15 markers.
In another game, Adamson University needed an extra period to pull off a 71-67 overtime win against University of the East and end its dry spell in the UAAP bracket.
Matt Erolon buried a three-pointer that gave them a slim 66-65 lead in the overtime before Mudiaga Ojarikre's dunk put the punctuation for the Soaring Falcons.
Erolon top-scored with 17 points while Ray Allen Torres and John Earl Medina each chipped in 11 markers as they improved to 1-3 while sending the Red Warriors to a 0-4 slate.
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
