College of Saint Benilde overcame a strong first-half showing from San Sebastian College-Recoletos to outlast the winless Stags, 73-66, in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
With the victory, the Blazers improved to 5-1, giving them the best record across the NCAA’s two groups, while the Stags remained winless after six games.
After trailing by as many as nine points at halftime, Benilde came out firing after the break, unleashing a 15-5 run that John Morales capped with two free throws to give the Blazers their first lead of the game, 44-43.
But the Stags refused to fold, answering each Benilde surge with one of their own before restoring a three-point cushion at 54-51.
The Blazers would not let San Sebastian pull away, as Alaine Cajucom drilled a triple to briefly put Benilde ahead, 59-58, early in the fourth quarter.
The Stags quickly responded, however, with Christian Ricio finishing at the rim to restore their four-point advantage at 63-59 with just over six minutes remaining.
Benilde then flipped the script, storming back with nine unanswered points. Justin Sanchez capped the run with a layup at the 1:32 mark to give the Blazers a 69-64 lead.
San Sebastian made one last push as Kent Bacani completed an and-one play to cut the deficit to three, 69-66.
But Ian Torres delivered the decisive blow, banking in a triple with 24 seconds remaining to stretch Benilde’s lead to 72-66 and put the game out of reach.
Both teams will return to action on Friday, Oct. 6, with the Blazers taking on Arellano University at 5:00 p.m., while the Stags face Jose Rizal University at 3:00 p.m.
