College of Saint Benilde barged back into the win column of the NCAA 95 Seniors Basketball Tournament, as gutsy Justin Gutang made sure they didn’t skip a beat without head coach TY Tang and lead guard Jimboy Pasturan.
The Fil-Am forward tallied 14 points on top of eight rebounds and two assists to tow the Blazers to a 74-66 triumph over JRU last Friday.
Gutang’s game-long brilliance allowed the Taft-based team to overcome the absence of Tang due to a one-game suspension, as well as the loss of Pasturan, who was ruled out of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Behind the 6-foot-3 all-around weapon, CSB snapped their back-to-back losses and secured solo second in the standings.
All of that was more than enough for Gutang to claim the Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Corps NCAA Player of the Week plum.
As the Blazers wrap up the first round of eliminations, Gutang will be counted upon to lead his team to victory once more.
“We were really struggling and haven’t been playing well kahit sa practice. Hopefully, with this win, we can find our groove again,” said deputy coach Charles Tiu of their bounce back win led by the latest recipient of the weekly award handed out by print and online media covering the beat.
Gutang, who bested San Sebastian standouts Allyn Bulanadi and Alvin Capobres for the recognition, hopes to continue his fine form as CSB eyes a statement win at the expense of the Knights on Friday at Cuneta Astrodome.
