The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers survived a cardiac quarterfinal thriller, outlasting the Mapua University (MU) Cardinals, 74-72, to book a spot in the semifinals today, Nov. 28, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Cardinals drew first blood from the stripe, but the Blazers answered with a counterpunch inside from Allen Liwag and triples from Raffy Celis and Jhomel Ancheta, swinging the momentum towards the men in green and white. Mapua attempted to settle with free throws from Drex Delos Reyes and a layup by Cyril Gonzales, but Celis kept Taft’s engines humming, keeping the Muralla squad at bay, 24-17.
The second canto opened with a Joshua Cajucom drive, but the Cardinals answered with buckets from John Recto and Ivan Lazarte trimming the lead to 26-22. However, Benilde kept its foot on the gas as Tony Ynot buried back-to-back treys, keeping the game firmly in Taft’s grip, 47–31.
Coming out of the break, the Cardinals landed the first blow as Recto drilled the opening jumper of the half, while Taft went ice-cold and failed to bucket until after the eight-minute mark. Huge triples from Celis and Ynot ignited the crowd but ultimately Mapua battled hard to regain momentum as they outscored Benilde and trimmed the lead to a precarious seven, 60-53.
In the do-or-die payoff quarter, the period opened with a major turning point as Clint Escamis was ejected from the game following a hard collision with Ynot. The Muralla squad refused to fold as Marc Valencia and Marc Cuenco knocked down crucial points, but Torres steadied the Blazers with a strong drive followed by a cold-blooded trey to shove the Blazers back ahead, 69-63. The men in red and gold fought back with late triples from Cuenco and Recto to close the gap, but the Taft squad tightened up defensively and weathered the Cardinals' last push, narrowly escaping with a 74-72 victory to keep their season alive.
In an exclusive interview with The Benildean, Player of the Game Ian Torres shared how the team prepared for this season-deciding game against the defending champions.
“Kasi kami nung talo kami sa Mapua last game, ‘yung kinabukasan nung training namin nagkaisa lang talaga kami. Kasi nung first game namin sabi nga ni Coach (Charles Tiu) duwag pero ganon talaga ‘yung sports eh. May malas may swerte, pero buti ngayon nagkaisa kami at nag-contribute naman lahat,” he shared.
He also added how the team handled the pressure, “Hinahandle namin ‘yung pressure nang magkasama-sama kasi kapag isa lang ‘yung tumatanggap ng pressure, nawawala rin [siya] sa game. So nag-usap lang talaga kami kahapon.”
After securing the final four spot, Torres reiterated that the season is far from over and the win against Mapua boosted the team’s confidence for the upcoming semis showdown. Meanwhile, Torres spearheaded the revenge pack as Player of the Game, tallying 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
The Blazers aim to battle it out with the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions on Dec. 2 at the Araneta Coliseum, with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (74): Celis 18, Torres 12, Ynot 11, Liwag 9, Sanchez 6, Umali 5, Ancheta 5, Gaspay 4, Morales 2, Cajucom 2
MAPUA (72): Recto 18, Cuenco 17, Gonzales 11, Sapasap 7, Nitura 4, Concepcion 4, Delos Reyes 4, Lazarte 4, Escamis 3
