In a game that featured 20 lead changes, College of Saint Benilde played spoiler to season hosts and defending champions San Beda University, escaping with a 77-68 victory in their NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament opener on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Red Lions entered the matchup with a 4-1 record against the Blazers in Season 101, but Benilde quickly proved that the past would have little bearing on their latest meeting.
Both teams went scoreless through the first three minutes of the final period before Jimmy Reyes converted an and-one opportunity to put San Beda ahead, 58-57.
CSB responded with a quick 7-2 run to regain the lead, 64-60. Despite a huge triple from Jhomel Ancheta, the Red Lions stayed within striking distance after Lawrence Hawkins converted a layup to cut the deficit to 68-66.
With just over two minutes remaining, Raffy Celis knocked down two free throws to give the Blazers some breathing room at 70-66.
Ancheta then came up huge with 31 seconds left, extending CSB’s lead with a transition layup. RC Calimag answered with a quick jumper, but Celis and Irele Galas sank the final points to ice Benilde’s 77-68 opening victory.
“I think we were a bit fortunate that San Beda rimmed out a couple of shots — they had great looks. Guys made shots, Jhomel made his shots, Matt made his free throws; sometimes, that’s what happens,” said CSB head coach Paolo Layug.
Ancheta led the Blazers with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists in nearly 27 minutes of action.
Rookie Matt Jucom added an efficient 18 points on 54.5-percent shooting, while Irele Galas and Raffy Celis rounded out Benilde’s offensive output with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“Na-excite ako kasi first game ko, and maganda pinapakita ko, so sana tuloy-tuloy performance ko,” said Jucom, who admitted to experiencing first-game anxiety early on.
Meanwhile, Aldous Torculas — making his NCAA debut after transferring from University of the Philippines — was San Beda’s lone double-digit scorer with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, though. The Red Lions shot an abysmal 9.4-percent from deep, making just three of their 32 attempts. Meanwhile, the Blazers were only slightly better, converting six of their 30 attempts from the perimeter.
Benilde ultimately gained the edge through its fastbreak points, most of which came in the final minutes. CSB outscored San Beda, 13-6, in that department.
The loss also marked San Beda’s first opening-day defeat in 21 years, with its last such setback coming against Philippine Christian University in 2005.
The Blazers look to extend their winning momentum on Thursday at 5:00 PM, when they take on Lyceum of the Philippines University. On the other hand, San Beda hopes to bounce back against José Rizal University on Friday at 3:00 PM.
Both games will be held at the Playtime Filoil Center in San Juan.
The Scores:
Benilde 77 – Ancheta 19, Jucom 18, Galas 12, Celis 11, Morales 8, Torres 3, Arciaga 3, Cajucom 2, Sanchez 1, Moore 0, Podador 0, Daja 0, Go 0.
San Beda 68 – Torculas 19, RC Calimag 9, Reyes 7, Marcelo 7, Lina 5, Hawkins 5, Bonzalida 4, Uggadan 4, Songcuya 4, Etulla 2, Jalbuena 2, Sarigumba 0, Estacio 0, Ri. Calimag 0.
Quarterscores: 15-17, 40-39, 57-55, 77-68.
