Defending champions EVSU Eagles nullified a second-quarter deficit and darted the visiting VSU Pythons to start their EVCAA Season 2 campaign on the winning side, 84-76, on Sunday, September 10 in front of a roaring Tacloban City Convention Center.
Having been outscored in the second frame by VSU’s 31-point outburst, the Eagles gave the Pythons a taste of their own venom – mauling them with an explosive 28-point third quarter while restricting the visitors to 13 points only.
Trailing their foes at halftime (37-51), the Eagles entered the second half gliding on their second wind as they outscored the Pythons courtesy of their 21-4 run (58-55). From there, the Eagles never took their feet off the gas and completed the pivotal third frame on top, 65-64.
Eagles forward Jose Marie Mariveles led all scorers with his 26-point performance on a 52.9% clip, along with three boards and two assists in just 26 minutes of playing time that earned him the Player of the Game honors.
Christian Carl Mercolita added 15 markers, five rebounds, and five dishes in the victory while forward Lorenzo Parungao Jr. anchored EVSU’s defensive stronghold, hauling nine rebounds and four rejections despite going 3-of-11 from the field.
“Our players executed [the plays] well. They played their hearts out,” said Head Coach Lyndon Alberca who described leading the reigning champs in their EVCAA stint this year as a challenging one.
“Very challenging. Big shoes to fill in because ‘yun nga, defending champions tayo. It’s a long shot but papunta tayo do’n,” Coach Alberca added.
Despite leading the opening quarter (20-17), early foul troubles in just under three minutes put the Eagles in jeopardy, sending the Pythons to the free-throw line for most of the second frame. VSU eventually pulled away as their edge ballooned to 15 (34-49) – their biggest of the match – leaving the merged EVSU system squad on their back foot come intermission, 37-51.
But a determined Eagles team took Tacloban Astrodome for a thrilling basketball showcase, sparking a quick 11-2 spree with 7:42 on the clock as they pounced on the Pythons’ porous defense with successful basket drives, including foul calls that resulted in penalty shots.
VSU later redeemed the lead (64-60) but were then nailed in the last 35 seconds as the Eagles soared to finish the third-quarter turnaround with a 5-0 run, 64-65.
Another offensive streak propelled the Eagles’ flight in the final canto, with Dezeo Villanueva’s jumper and Mercolita’s triple leading the charge for the 80-72 separation in the final 2:46 of the game.
A Mark Ecija block with 25 seconds left denied the Pythons of any potential fightback before Mercolita sank three of his five charities which laced up the drama-filled clash in favor of the Eagles.
Despite amassing 20 turnovers, the Eagles took advantage of the Pythons’ 13 errors as they outscored the latter in points off turnovers (7-2) and second-chance points (11-6). Those, as well as an overall 41.9% shooting (31-of-74) from the field and limiting VSU to just 32.9% (27-of-82).
With the Eagles’ win, they now hold a 1-0 record and share the top spot in Group B with RTRMF-DVOREF Praefortes who handed the Pythons their first loss last Saturday.
The Eagles will try to stretch their winning stride when they meet University of the Eastern Philippines (UEP) Buffalos next week, September 16.
Meanwhile, the VSU Pythons, falling to 0-2, will have plenty of time to regroup before taking on their next foes as they resume their group stage matches and keep their tourney hopes alive on October 14 and 15.
Article by Patrick Joseph Dincol