Cover Photo By Jacob Banog
Cover Photo By Jacob Banog.

Gozum, Corteza stun UE Warriors, lift Blazers to 3-2


The Blazers ended the Red Warriors' two-game winning run, 72-63, improving their win-loss record to 3-2 in the #FilOilEcoOil15thPreseasonCup.


By Anna Laganzon | Monday, 8 August 2022

The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers are back in the winning column, having defeated the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 72-63, in the FilOil EcoOil 15th Preseason Cup on Sunday, Aug. 7, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, San Juan.

The Blazers got off to a good start as Will Gozum and Robi Nayve took their shot at threes, leaving a gap for the Red Warriors to fill in the first quarter, 27-21.

The Red Warriors then minimized the gap with the assistance of Harvey Pagsanjan and CJ Payawal after executing back-to-back pointers, which allowed them to reduce the advantage in the second quarter to 44-42.

After going into halftime with a narrow lead of two points, Benilde shifted its focus to defense and held the Red Warriors to just eight points in the third quarter. The score was 59-50 with nine points in front of the opponent when the fourth quarter began.

After UE reduced the lead to seven points, 66-59, with over five minutes left to play, Miggy Corteza and Nayve scored critical baskets for the Taft Squad as the Blazers made huge stops to pull off the victory.

Corteza scored a resounding step-back three with one minute and 33 seconds remaining in the game, giving Benilde a 72-59 lead and essentially ensuring that they would go on to win the game.

Gozum completed the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Corteza contributed 15 points, three blocks, and an assist to the team's overall production.

In addition, guards Nayve and Jimboy Pasturan both contributed 11 points, with Nayve grabbing five boards and dishing out three assists, and Pasturan adding two rebounds and two assists to their stat line.

As a result of the victory, the Blazers have improved their record to 3-2, while the Red Warriors have had their record fall to 2-4 and remain in sixth place.

The Blazers will face the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the same venue, with a live telecast on PCCL and FilOil EcoOil Sports.

Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (72) - Gozum 16, Corteza 15, Nayve 11, Pasturan 11, Cullar 8, Sangco 3, Flores 3, Marcos 2, Davis 2, Mara 1, Cajucom 0, Dimayuga 0, Mosqueda 0.

UE (63) - Pagsanjan 24, Payawal 12, N. Paranada 5, Beltran 4, K. Paranada 4, Remogat 4, Lorenzana 3, Alcantara 3, Sawat 2, Tulabut 2, Abatayo 0, Antiporda 0, Lingo-Lingo 0.

Quarter scores: 27-21, 44-42, 59-50, 72-63