By: Miguel Caramoan
Despite missing several key players, the return of Allen Liwag was more than enough to help the College of Saint Benilde close the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament eliminations on a high note, securing a come-from-behind 87-82 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
With Shawn Umali, Justine Sanchez, and Tony Ynot sidelined, Benilde received a major boost from the reigning Season 100 MVP, who was initially expected to miss the entire eliminations.
Liwag delivered 16 points and eight rebounds, while Matthew Oli stepped up off the bench with 14 points.
“It’s something we discussed if we wanted to play or just maybe surprise teams pagdating sa playoffs, but we figured it might be better to get him some run,” Blazers head coach Charles Tiu said about the decision to field Liwag in their final eliminations game.
“Sabi ko lang, wag na siya bumangga at jump shot na lang siya – just make sure you get by this game and get that rust off. Kasi mahirap rin not to play in three weeks and then biglang mapapasok ka sa playoffs.”
The turning point of the first half came in the closing minutes of the second quarter, when the Generals unleashed a 10-0 run behind Castillo and Bagay to take a 47-37 halftime lead.
But the Blazers responded in the third, ending the quarter on a strong note behind Matthew Oli and Anton Eusebio to trim the deficit to 65-67 entering the final period.
That momentum carried into the fourth, where Oli, Irele Galas, and Jio Gonzaga powered a 22-15 finishing kick to complete the comeback and seal the victory.
“That’s something we talked about throughout the week. We wanted to give everybody a chance, especially guys who haven’t been playing much this season, and we wanted to make sure that nobody gets injured or hurt for the quarterfinals,” Tiu added, noting the team’s balanced approach.
The game was technically non-bearing for both teams, as Benilde had already secured the No. 2 seed in Group B prior to tip-off. The Blazers wrapped up the eliminations at 9-4 and will face defending champion Mapua in the quarterfinals.
“I certainly hope not because Mapua is Mapua. They kicked our butts last year, so we don’t have any right to relax. We’ve got to play our A-game; if not, they are going to beat us,” Tiu said when asked about their mindset heading into the showdown with the Cardinals.
EAC, meanwhile, fell to 4-9 and now prepare for a play-in matchup against the JRU Heavy Bombers.
The Generals rested main shooter Wilmar Oftana in this game but received career-high outings from Bagay and Aldeo Lucero, who finished with 25 and 20 points, respectively.
The Scores:
Benilde 87 – Liwag 16, Oli 14, Gonzaga 12, Moore 9, Eusebio 9, Daja 6, Galas 5, Gaspay 4, Celis 3, Jalalon 2, Cometa 2, Ancheta 0, Cajucom 0
Emilio Aguinaldo 82 – Bagay 25, Lucero 20, Castillo 10, Quinal 7, Omandac 6, Angeles 5, Ochavo 3, Tolentino 2, Bacud 2, Dominguez 2, Shanoda 0, Postanes 0, Loristo 0, Devara 0, Jacob 0
Quarterscores: 17-23, 37-47, 65-67, 87-82
