College of Saint Benilde strengthened its lead atop the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament standings, defeating Colegio de San Juan de Letran 83-78 for their seventh consecutive win on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Blazers exacted revenge on the Knights, who handed them their first loss of the season with a clutch basket from Kevin Santos in their previous matchup, 71-69.
This time, with Santos sidelined due to injury, Benilde capitalized on the opportunity.
Despite an early 14-point deficit in the first quarter, the Blazers took control in the second, outscoring Letran 32-10 to establish a 47-37 lead by halftime.
In the final frame, Benilde led 81-72 with 40 seconds remaining, but Letran’s Paolo Javillonar nailed a three-pointer, narrowing the gap to six points, 81-75.
Allen Liwag responded quickly with a layup for Benilde, only for Deo Cuajao to hit another triple, trimming the Blazers’ lead to five points, 83-78, with 14 seconds left.
Benilde ran down the clock with quick ball movement, sealing the victory.
After the game, head coach Charles Tiu praised his team’s resilience following their slow start.
“We kept reminding them how important this game was to us. Yung strong start ng Letran, part of it also was our focus kasi nagtatapon kami ng bola. We talked about mga adjustments na gusto namin, kung paano namin sila aatakihin, and thankfully nag-adjust, nagawa ng mga bata. We did a good job passing the ball and nasunog rin namin yung press nila,” Tiu said.
Benilde’s frontcourt dominated, with Allen Liwag posting 20 points and eight rebounds, while Justine Sanchez contributed 16 points and six boards. Mark Sangco added 10 points off the bench.
The Blazers improved to a 13-2 record and maintained control of the top spot. They now set their sights on San Beda University for their next game on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
For Letran, Paolo Javillonar set a new career high with 31 points, including eight triples.
Jimboy Estrada chipped in 13 points but struggled with his shot, going just 3-for-14 from the field, while Deo Cuajao added 10 points.
Letran, now at a 7-9 record, continued to slip in the race for the Final Four. The Knights will look to bounce back against Arellano University on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
The Scores:
Saint Benilde 83 – Liwag 20, Sanchez 16, Sangco 11, Ynot 7, Torres 7, Ancheta 7, Eusebio 7, Ondoa 6, Morales 2, Cometa 0, Oli 0, Cajucom 0
Letran 78 – Javillonar 31, Estrada 13, Cuajao 10, Montecillo 9, Miller 6, Nunag 5, Monje 4, Delfino 0, Pradella 0, Jumao-As 0, Dimaano 0
Quarterscores: 15-27, 47-37, 62-54, 83-78
