The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers demolished the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs with a commanding 23-point margin win, 100-77, maintaining a flawless second-round standing in the #NCAA100, today, Oct. 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Sitting comfortably at the top of the standings, the Blazers aim to maintain a flawless second-round record, despite the absence of one of the team’s main scorers, Tony Ynot, due to an ankle injury. 

The Blazers started the game aggressively, immediately giving an early 9-0 run before committing four consecutive turnovers that gave opportunities for the Chiefs to close the gap, 10-8. The Taft squad remained consistent in their defensive aggressiveness, forcing Arellano to commit turnovers, converting defensive stops into offensive opportunities. Led by Justine Sanchez, Gab Cometa, and Paul Turco, the Blazers executed a commanding 12-0 run to end the quarter in their favor, 26-10.

The second quarter was welcomed by transition plays from Roger Ondoa and Cometa, displaying consistency on both ends of the floor, 35-17. The Chief’s duo of T-mc Ongotan and Renz Capulong were the only players giving problems to the Blazers as both were consistent in dropping shots. Cometa suddenly stole the spotlight as he capitalized on the fastbreak opportunities, sinking mid-range jumpers and three-pointers, ending the first half with 17 points.

The men in green and white remained consistent in the second half, denying all shots from the Arellano side and converting turnovers into quick easy points. Allen Liwag stood up early in the third quarter after dropping back-to-back and-one plays, 67-43. After igniting in the first half, Cometa continued to display a hot shooting streak, dropping an extra 6 points from the perimeter area. 

The final quarter saw Coach Charles Tiu’s third stringers in action, with Mowell Morales and Zenric Jarque tallying easy points through transition plays, 92-59. The Blazers’ rookie, Gene Carillo, marked his first NCAA points with a follow-up shot and a slam dunk, 100-67. The Chiefs, led by Basti Valencia, attempted to make a comeback run after giving a 10-0 run, but the time wasn’t enough and the Blazers took the statement win, 100-77.

Cometa was hailed as the best player on the court with 23 points on a 71% field goal percentage in 14 minutes. Sanchez garnered a double-double outing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Blazers will face the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers on Oct. 20 at the same venue with a live telecast on the Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.

Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (100): Cometa 23, Sanchez 14, Liwag 12, Ancheta 8, Torres 8, Turco 6, Ondoa 6, Oli 5, Morales 4, Carillo 4, Sangco 3, Eusebio 3, Cajucom 2, Jarque 2

AU (77): Valencia 25, Ongotan 15, Geronimo 10, Capulong 8, Vinoya 7, Flores 6, Borromeo 2, Miller 2, Camay 2