The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers came up short in a tight tussle against the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs, 67-72, dropping to a 4-2 win-loss record today, Oct. 19, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. 

The Blazers endured an 0-8 scoring drought in the opening quarter as the swift hands of the Chiefs disrupted their rhythm early in the match with forced turnovers, until Justine Sanchez muscled in a basket under the ring. Despite the efforts of Ian Torres and Tony Ynot to keep the Taft Squad in striking distance, T-Mc Ongotan evaded the Blazers’ grasp and swiped the first canto away, 15-17.

The second quarter saw Ongotan erupt in the paint as he poured in baskets from all angles that stretched the Chiefs’ lead to double digits, 27-42. Shawn Umali made a re-entry onto the hardcourt after an earlier fall in the opening canto, and together with Irele Galas, sparked a brief rally to trim the deficit. Still, the men in green and white entered the break trailing, 39-45.

The Blazers refused to fold as they roared back in the third. Ynot sank a three-pointer while Gab Cometa and Matthew Oli converted sneaky plays that gave Benilde its first lead of the game 55-54. However, the Chiefs retaliated with Ongotan at the helm to regain their cushion and close the third quarter ahead, 57-62.

The fourth quarter saw Jake Gaspay and Umali slice the deficit to a single possession at 65-67. Yet, the Chiefs slipped away in the dying minutes, their swift hands and composure just enough to survive Benilde’s furious last stand, 67-72.

The Blazers eye a comeback to their winning ways against the San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) Golden Stags on Oct. 22 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.

Box Scores:

DLS-CSB (67): Sanchez 16, Ynot 13, Cometa 12, Umali 12, Gaspay 4, Galas 4, Oli 2, Torres 2, Eusebio 2

AU (72): Ongatan 28, Valencia 9, Camay 7, Vinoya 6, Geronimo 6, Abiera 6, Cabotaje 5, Libang 5