The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers outgunned the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals, 74-63, marking their first victory in #NCAA101, today, Oct. 4, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Generals’ Wilmar Oftana struck first with an opening salvo, securing the first point of the game and their first for this season. However, the Blazers were quick to counterattack, as Shawn Umali, Allen Liwag, and SJ Moore led an early 8-0 blitz on the red and white squad’s corner. An attempt was made at chipping away at the margin with a flurry of sneaky backcourt offensives, but the Blazers stood their ground and closed the first stretch at 22-17.
Taft braced for Ermita’s retaliation as they renewed their assault with Felix Villarente and Oftana at their helm, inching closer at 22-19. Nevertheless, the men in green and white refused to yield, as Justine Sanchez charged through the pain while Liwag and Umali hammered down baskets to restore their breathing room and capped the first half in their favor, 37-32.
The men in red and white attempted another rally behind Brianne Angeles and EJ Castillo, slashing the margin to just four points at 48-44. Jhomel Ancheta and Raffy Celis held the line for the Taft squad and reasserted control of the paint with back-to-back baskets. Sanchez delivered the knockout sequence in the third canto as he sank free throws to end it, 57-46.
The Blazers stormed into the last phase of disarming the Generals with Gab Cometa and Ian Torres draining three-pointers all the way from Taft. Jude Bagay and Kyle Ochavo scrambled around the hard court with late-game baskets, but the Blazers had already secured the game, 74-63.
Sanchez led the offense with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal while Liwag trailed closely at 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.
The Blazers will face off against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Knights on Oct. 8 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 (74): Sanchez 16, Liwag 14, Cometa 9, Torres 7, Umali 6, Moore 6, Celis 5, Ancheta 4, Gaspay 2, Morales 2, Cajucom 2, Eusebio 1
EAC (63): Bagay 15, Oftana 10, Castillo 8, Angeles 8, Loristo 6, Ochavo 4, Postanes 4, Shanoda 3, Villarente 3, Lucero 2
