By: Joaquin Cortez
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.
“You have to give credit to San Sebastian. They played really well, even in the half-court because we were expecting them to be trying to run and run, which they did, but they executed quite well in the half-court, so I have to give credit for that,” said Benilde head coach Paolo Layug.
“But I also think our defense was not on point during the first half. We kinda turned it around in the third a little bit, and then in the fourth quarter, thankfully, we were able to get some stops,” the Atenean coach continued.
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 Josh 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.
With Benilde still without Allen Liwag, Raffy Celis, Matt Jucom, and Irele Galas as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, Cajucom carried the load offensively, pacing the Blazers with 20 points and five rebounds. Jhomel Ancheta added 14 points and three assists.
Sanchez, who scored a career-best 27 points in their previous outing, chipped in a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Torres added 10 points.
Ricio led the Stags with 15 points and three rebounds, followed by Bacani, who had 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Ralph Gabat finished with 12 points for San Sebastian.
Both teams will return to action on Friday, Oct. 6, with the Blazers taking on Arellano University at 5 p.m., while the Stags face Jose Rizal University at 3 p.m.
The Scores:
Saint Benilde 73 – Cajucom 20, Ancheta 14, Sanchez 12, Torres 10, Moralez 7, Jarque 4, Lorenzo 2, Moore 2, Arciaga 2, Baliquig 0, Daja 0.
San Sebastian 66 – Ricio 15, Bacani 13, Gabat 12, Alforque 9, Velasco 5, Castor 5, Muktimar 3, Cuya 2, Barroga 0, Kitane 0.
Quarterscores: 13-20, 29-38, 51-54, 73-66.
