The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers stormed through a late-game rush against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Knights in their second NCAA Season 101 matchup, 80-74, today, Nov. 14, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Knights opened the game with early baskets to briefly seize control, but the Blazers responded with a barrage of triples and gained momentum, from Winston Ynot, Mowell Morales, and Jhomel Ancheta. The spark handed a seven-point lead until the end of the first quarter, 31-24.
The Intramuros squad slowly chipped away at the Taft squad’s lead with continuous two-pointers in the second quarter, with Aaron Buensalida and Arthur Roque making most of the Knights’ baskets. Their scoring rhythm allowed them to overtake the Blazers and closed the first half with a slim edge, 48-50.
After the break, Jimboy Estrada and Jonathan Manalili proved to be major obstacles for the men in green and white as they tried to widen the gap. Ancheta and Shawn Umali refused to back down and executed key buckets to keep the Blazers in striking distance. Both teams traded blows and wore each other down, but Ian Torres was an exception, breaking the tie with a hail mary shot from beyond the arc, 69-66, clinching the third canto for Benilde.
In the payoff period, the game intensified further as Muralla struggled to inch their way back to the lead, however the Blazers remained unfazed and doused Letran’s late rally. Sanchez delivered the final dagger and locked in victory for Benilde, 80-74.
Player of the Game Torres stunned many with his unbelievable shots and impeccable defense posting his undaunting drive for victory with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The Benilde Blazers aim to continue their ride to victory against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City, with live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (80): Torres 15, Sanchez 14, Morales 13, Ynot 12, Ancheta 10, Umali 5, Celis 3, Gaspay 3, Eusebio 3, Cometa 2,
CSJL (74): Manalili 16, Estrada 14, Buensalida 10, Roque 9, Omega 9, Santos 8, Gammad 7, Rosilio 1
