The College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers relied on their offensive runs to cruise past Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in a lopsided victory, 70-48, in the 2015 FilOil-Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
Both teams felt out each other in the opening frame, exchanging baskets that sent it to a 9-all knot fifteen seconds before the four-minute mark. CSB was the first one to catch their rhythm offensively, unfurling a 14-2 scoring spree from the said deadlock behind Jonathan Grey, Ervic Flores, and Fons Saavedra to own the first quarter, 23-11.
From the deficit, FEU, behind efforts from second stringers Francis Tamsi, Brandrey Bienes, and Wendell Comboy, closed within a single point, 25-24, with less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Blazers, meanwhile, went on another run to lead by eleven, 35-24, with 43.9 seconds on the clock. The Tamaraws scored four more points off a pair of freebies and a basket to trim CSB’s lead, 35-28, approaching halftime.
CSB, in the third canto, went on another furious rally with Grey as its catalyst, to post their biggest lead of the game, 52-32, 1:02 left. FEU, which could not buy baskets due to CSB’s trapping defense, only scored off free throws from Mark Belo and Aldrech Liwag to end the frame lagging by 19, 54-35.
The Blazers picked up where they left off from the third, continuing their streak in the offensive end come the final chapter of the game. Their defense proved to be too much for FEU to overcome, not allowing the Morayta-based cagers to trim their lead down to less than nineteen. CSB outscored FEU 16-13 in the quarter to come out victorious, 70-48.
“We weren’t expecting to win in a lopsided manner,” CSB head coach Gabby Velasco said. “All we wanted was to keep it close. FEU yan eh. But good thing we were able to execute well,” he added.
Grey led the Blazers with 23 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Saavedra and Romeo Nayve had 14 and 12, respectively, to steer CSB to their second win of the tourney. In the FEU side, no one on the roster scored in double digits; Tamsi led the Tams , which dropped to 3-2, with just eight markers.
CSB will face Adamson University Soaring Falcons next Wednesday, May 27, at 3:15 PM, while FEU will play University of Perpetual Help Dalta System Altas this Saturday, May 23, at 1:30 PM.
The Scores:
CSB 70 – Grey 23, Saavedra 14, Nayve 12, Jonson 7, Domingo 6, Flores 4, Ongteco 3, Sta. Maria 1
FEU 48 – Tamsi 8, Comboy 6, Bienes 6, Tolomia 5, Belo 5, Ugsang 4, Liwag 4, Roxas 3, Pogoy 3, Orizu 2, Trinidad 2
| TEAMS | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH |
| CSB (A, 2-3) | 23 | 35 | 54 | 70 |
| FEU (A, 3-2) | 11 | 28 | 35 | 48 |
