Justine Sanchez nailed the clutch three-pointer in overtime to lift the College of Saint Benilde past the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 81-79, in the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Mark Gojo Cruz converted the first field goal of overtime to give Perpetual a 77-75 lead. After Jhommel Ancheta split his free throws, Gojo Cruz kept the lead with the Altas, 79-78.
Sanchez then knocked down his seventh three-pointer of the game with a little over two minutes left to hand the lead back to Benilde, 81-79, while also setting a new NCAA career high in points.
With 6.3 seconds left, the Blazers’ stifling defense prevented LA Casinillo from tying the game as they held on for the win.
“They always say, especially si Coach Charles [Tiu], na sige lang, tira mo lang, kasi pina-practice mo naman ‘yan,” Sanchez said of his go-ahead triple in the first-ever overtime game of Season 102.
“Nagulat din ako eh, na kada hawak ko ng bola, kada bitaw ko kanina, parang batya ‘yung ring eh. Lahat ng pinagtrabahuhan mo, makikita mo ‘yung result. So sobrang sarap sa feeling na ganun ‘yung resulta ng game namin ngayon.”
Sanchez finished with 27 points on 7-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, along with seven rebounds and two assists.
With their second straight victory, the Blazers moved to the top of Group A with a 4-1 record, while the Altas dropped to 2-3 in Group B after suffering their second straight loss.
After a tight first half, Benilde buckled down defensively and raced to an 8-0 start in the third quarter.
CSB threatened to pull away after building a five-point lead, but Perpetual weathered the Blazers’ charge and answered with a strong finish to take a 62-58 advantage into the final frame.
The Altas extended their lead to 66-58 early in the fourth quarter, but Benilde responded with four triples—including three from Ancheta—to cut the deficit to 71-70 with 3:23 remaining.
Mowell Morales tied the game at 72-all with 1:51 left, finishing an open layup off an Ian Torres assist.
After Sanchez missed on the other end, Casinillo attacked the paint and finished with his left hand to put Perpetual back in front, 74-72, with 5.1 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Ancheta drew a foul from Rey Maglupay while attempting a three-pointer. With the game on the line, the 5-foot-9 point guard converted two of three free throws to tie the game at 74-all.
With 1.6 seconds on the clock, Jim Corpuz missed a potential game-winning triple, sending the game into overtime.
“We need these games, and we need to learn how to play in these types of situations because that’s where we’re gonna see the growth of our team,” said CSB head coach Paolo Layug.
“It says a lot that every game we have other players stepping up, especially that we’re dealing with a lot of injuries right now; we’re just trying to weather the storm,” he added.
Four Blazers were unavailable for the game, with Raffy Celis dealing with an MCL sprain, Matt Jucom nursing a hamstring strain, and Irele Galas sidelined by a calf strain. Allen Liwag, meanwhile, has yet to suit up this season.
Ancheta added 17 points and eight assists for the Blazers.
Gojo Cruz paced Perpetual with 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Casinillo finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Kenji Duremdes added 11 points in the losing effort.
The Blazers will face San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Monday, Oct. 5, at 3:00 p.m., while the Altas take on defending champions San Beda University next Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5:00 p.m.
Both games will be held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Scores:
Benilde 81 – Sanchez 27, Ancheta 17, Jarque 9, Moore 9, Morales 7, Cajucom 5, Torres 3, Podador 2, Go 2, Lorenzo 0, Arciaga 0.
Perpetual 79 – Gojo Cruz 15, Casinillo 12, Duremdes 11, Gelsano 9, Tulabut 9, Orgo 7, Corpuz 6, Maglupay 6, Borja 4, Roluna 0.
Quarterscores: 13-12, 35-36, 58-62, 74-74, 81-79.
