By: Joaquin Cortez
College of Saint Benilde handed Mapúa University its first loss in nearly a month, eking out a 71-69 victory to snap the Cardinals’ six-game winning streak in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
With the victory, the Blazers snapped their own two-game skid and moved into a three-way tie for first place with San Beda University and Jose Rizal University, with all three teams holding identical 7-3 records.
Meanwhile, Mapúa, which went unbeaten in the crossover round, suffered its first defeat in nearly a month to drop to 6-4.
Neither team managed to establish a double-digit lead through the first three quarters until Ian Torres’ three-pointer and Jhommel Ancheta’s layup gave Benilde its first 10-point cushion, 55-45, heading into the final period.
Trailing by as many as nine points, the Cardinals quickly fought back, opening the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run capped by Marc Igliane’s layup to cut the deficit to two, 57-55.
Torres responded with back-to-back triples to restore order for the Blazers, stretching their lead back to eight, 63-55.
However, Jamal Diaz kept the Cardinals in contention, finding Yam Concepcion for a wide-open layup that knotted the score at 63-all with less than three minutes remaining.
Benilde regained control in the closing minutes as a John Morales layup and a Justin Sanchez triple gave the Blazers some breathing room, 68-63.
Cyrus Cuenco kept Mapúa within striking distance with a three-pointer, but Sanchez capitalized on an open lane and drove to the basket for a layup, restoring Benilde’s four-point cushion with 25.6 seconds remaining, 70-66.
The Cardinals were handed another opportunity when Raffy Celis fouled Cuenco while the Mapúa team captain was attempting a three-pointer. Cuenco sank all three free throws to trim the deficit to just one, 70-69.
Torres then split his free throws in the ensuing foul game, leaving Mapúa with one final chance to steal the victory. However, Cuenco’s potential game-winning three-pointer hit the front rim, allowing Benilde to escape with the hard-fought two-point win.
The Blazers will look to sustain their momentum against Lyceum of the Philippines University on Friday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m., while the Cardinals aim to bounce back against San Beda on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m.
Both games will be held at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
