The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers kept their Final Four hopes alive after outlasting the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions in Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinal series today, Dec. 5, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.
The Taft squad came out firing as Allen Liwag powered an early 9-1 run, but the Red Lions answered with a steady surge courtesy of Nygel Gonzales, Joe Celzo, and Jomel Puno, sparking a 19-all deadlock. Zed Etulle and Jhomel Ancheta traded trips on the line for their respective squads. Despite the Blazers’ explosive start, Mendiola's late push flipped the script, ending the first quarter with a one-point lead, 23-24.
In the second canto, a flurry of baskets from Celzo, Gonzales, and RC Calimag anchored the pride of lions. However, Ian Torres quenched the Taft squad’s scoring drought by shooting a trey. The men in red and white kept their composure by maintaining their presence inside the paint, but quick-witted steals from Tony Ynot and Raffy Celis kept the men in green and white within striking distance, 36-42.
The second half started on a high note for Benilde, as Sanchez basket boosted the Blazer's momentum, sparking a scoring run by Ynot, Torres, and Celis. Back-to-back triples from Ynot turned the tide for the men in green, followed by layups courtesy of Shawn Umali and Ancheta to close the quarter in favor of Benilde, 60-56.
It was a neck-and-neck battle in the fourth canto as Torres and Bryan Sajonia took turns scoring for their respective teams. The result of the game was up in the air as Sanchez and Sajonia exchanged baskets to tie the score with 29.9 seconds left on the game clock, 75-75. Just when everyone thought the match was heading into overtime, Torres heroically saved the day with a buzzer-beater floater to secure the victory for the men in green and white, 77-75.
Torres earned player of the game honors with 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Ynot led the tally with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Benilde Blazers will face San Beda one last time in a winner-takes-all Game 3 on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (77): Ynot 19, Torres 17, Sanchez 14, Liwag 9, Umali 7, Ancheta 6, Celis 5
SBU (75): Gonzales 17, Sajonia 16, Puno 14, Estacio 7, Celzo 6, Lina 4, Reyes 4, Andrada 3, Etulle 2, Calimag 2
