By: Miguel Caramoan
Ian Torres delivered in the clutch once again, drilling the game-winning floater as College of Saint Benilde held off San Beda, 77-75, to force a deciding Game 3 in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball semifinals on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Blazers’ starting point guard scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket that sealed the thrilling victory. Tony Ynot led Benilde with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Justin Sanchez added 14 markers.
“Ian took a bad shot — he knew it — but he made up for it with a big three and a game-winner. Credit to guys like Allen; natapilok na siya, and he didn’t want the second half to slip away. He played almost 37 minutes,” said Blazers head coach Charles Tiu.
“They left it all on the floor, even if it was a tough game to score, but that’s what you expect in a playoff game. Everybody’s going to raise their defense — both us and San Beda. In the end, it just came down to the breaks of the game. God’s will.”
Benilde will face the Red Lions once more on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, hoping to replicate their Season 100 Final Four triumph and secure a return trip to the finals.
“I just want to praise the boys. Before the game, we said all year we’ve really been through so much. It would have been a waste if our season ended like that, coming off a very ugly beatdown from San Beda,” he added.
“All year long, we’ve never lost two games in a row. I said I hoped it wouldn’t start today and they responded. We were shaky at the start, but when it mattered, the guys stepped up. Even Ynot and Sanchez made some big plays. San Beda focused on stopping Allen and Shawn, but the other guys stepped up big time.”
The Blazers got off to a fast start, racing to a 9-1 lead with Allen Liwag scoring seven early points. However, contributions from Jomel Puno and Penny Estacio allowed San Beda to regain a 24-23 edge after the first quarter.
In the second period, Nygel Gonzales carried the scoring load for Benilde with six points, helping the Blazers withstand a foul-plagued Red Lions squad that committed 17 fouls in the first half. Despite this, Benilde shot only 47.4% on 19 attempts and couldn’t extend their lead.
The Blazers surged in the third quarter with a 16-2 run late in the period, highlighted by back-to-back triples from Tony Ynot and key baskets from Justin Sanchez to take a 60-58 lead heading into the final frame.
Gonzales once again gave Benilde the lead at 62-60 early in the fourth quarter. A flurry of three-pointers from Torres and Shawn Umali kept the Blazers ahead, but Bryan Sajonia’s personal 7-0 run put San Beda up 71-68 with 3:39 remaining.
Torres answered with a clutch five-point spurt, including a triple, to tie the game at 73 with 1:38 left. The seesaw battle continued as Sajonia and Sanchez traded baskets, knotting the game at 75.
Ultimately, Torres had the final say with a floater that bounced favorably, giving Benilde the edge for good.
“I think for us, I’ll give credit to the players — they didn’t panic today,” Tiu said.
“It’s something we talked about. We knew we were going to make our run, but we expected San Beda not to fold because they’re a really good team. For a while, when they were up late in the fourth because of Sajonia and all the shots he made, we could have folded, but we didn’t.”
San Beda suffered a huge blow with the absence of top scorer Janti Miller, who missed the game due to a right knee contusion.
The Red Lions struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4-of-22 attempts. Gonzales led San Beda with 17 points, while Sajonia and Puno’s late heroics fell short, finishing with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
The Scores:
Saint Benilde 77 – Ynot 19, Torres 17, Sanchez 14, Liwag 9, Umali 7, Ancheta 6, Celis 5, Gaspay 0, Cajucom 0, Morales 0, Cometa 0, Oli 0, Galas 0
San Beda 75 – Gonzales 17, Sajonia 16, Puno 14, Estacio 7, Celzo 6, Lina 4, Reyes 4, Andrada 3, Calimag 2, Etulle 2, Bonzalida 0
Quarterscores: 23-24, 36-42, 60-58, 77-75
