College of Saint Benilde remained perfect in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament, cruising past University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 78-51, on Wednesday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan City.
It has been a dominant run so far for the Blazers, winning their first four games by an average margin of 16.5 points per contest – including a 77-55 whipping of Emilio Aguinaldo College three days ago.
Fourth-year Blazers head coach Charles Tiu was surprised by the run they are on right now, especially with the Altas eager to get back in the win column after their 71-65 loss to Mapua also last Sunday.
“I’m surprised that we won by this much, to be honest. Obviously, when you prepare for a game, you expect to win, but I did not think we’d play this well. Credit to the players for doing well,” said Tiu.
“I’ve been telling them that Perpetual is a good team; they are very well-coached. I’m very happy with the way they played today.”
It was a comprehensive win for the Blazers, with seven players scoring at least seven points.
Justine Sanchez and Tony Ynot led the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively, with the two also grabbing eight boards apiece.
Another former Red Lion, Gab Cometa, scored 10 points, while backcourt-mate Jhomel Ancheta produced nine points.
Ian Torres and Anton Eusebio scored eight apiece, while Edson Serrano chipped in seven.
“That’s the kind of culture we are trying to build, which is whoever we are playing, we will respect them by playing hard. Hindi puwedeng pag San Beda lang kalaban mo, dun ka lang gaganahan,” said Tiu.
The Blazers dominated throughout, leading 50-29 at halftime and extending the lead to 69-40 late in the third quarter.
Benilde absolutely controlled the thin Altas frontline, outrebounding them, 61-45. Moreover, they shackled Perpetual to a poor 26.3-percent shooting from the field – highlighted by a 4-of-16 performance from rookie Alta Mark Gojo Cruz.
With Benilde on a tear the entire game, Allen Liwag did not have to do much, tallying just four points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
Up next for CSB is a showdown with fellow Strong Group-backed school Letran on Sunday at 2:30 PM.
Besides Gojo Cruz, Shawn Orgo was the other Perpetual player to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
The Altas, who dropped to 2-2, will look to snap their skid on Saturday as they take on the EAC Generals.
The Scores:
St. Benilde 78 – Sanchez 13, Ynot 12, Cometa 10, Ancheta 9, Torres 8, Eusebio 8, Serrano 7, Liwag 4, Morales 3, Sangco 2, Ondoa 2, Jarque 0, Turco 0, Oli 0, Carillo 0.
Perpetual Help 51 – Gojo Cruz 11, Orgo 10, Boral 9, Abis 4, Piarro 4, Pagaran 4, Nunez 3, Montemayor 2, Gelsacno 0, Cauguiran 0, Sevilla 0, Javier 0, Movida 0, Manuel 0.
Quarterscores: 18-10, 50-29, 67-42, 78-51.
