In their first game against their former team, Tony Ynot and Justine Sanchez willed College of St. Benilde to a narrow overtime win over reigning NCAA champion San Beda University, 70-65, in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
After Allen Liwag’s miss of the potential game-winning layup for the Blazers, Jhomel Ancheta and Liwag then took charge for Benilde to will the Taft-based squad over the Red Lions in overtime.
The former CEU Scorpions guard nailed a triple and floater to give the Blazers a five-point head start in overtime, but it was Ynot who drained the dagger three-pointer to propel Benilde to a seven-point advantage with 2:51 left, 68-61.
A layup by Liwag, along with a steal by Justine Sanchez on Bryan Sajonia in the final possession, sealed the Blazers’ win and undefeated start to the season.
The Red Lions’ struggled from the line that could have changed the tides of the contest, only converting 3-of-7 from the stripe in overtime, where three of those misses came from James Payosing.
“We basically executed how we wanted to. I like that we did not panicked… At the end of the game, basketball gods favored us today as we got some breaks of the game, especially in overtime,” Benilde head coach Charles Tiu said.
In the dying moments of the fourth frame, Ancheta drained the go-ahead triple to give the Blazers a two-point lead, but a layup by San Beda team captain Yukien Andrada sent the game to overtime.
Despite being a revamped roster, the game ended with Benilde dishing out eight more assists compared to the Red Lions, 17-9.
Ancheta led three Blazers in double-figures with 14 points, five assists, and two rebounds, with Ynot contributing 12 markers and Liwag posting a double-double of 12 points, 14 rebounds, along with three blocks.
In their first match facing their former school, Gab Cometa chipped in six points while Sanchez was limited to three points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Now overcoming both of last season’s finalists in Mapua and San Beda, Benilde’s redemption tour is off to a rousing start, jumping to a 2-0 card in the ten-team league.
The Blazers aim to continue their winning ways when they face Emilio Aguinaldo College on Saturday, 2:30 p.m., at the same venue.
Sajonia paced the Red Lions in the loss with 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists, but shot 7-of-22 from the field. Andrada and Payosing contributed 13 and 10 markers as San Beda’s’ title defense is off to a shaky start, starting the season with a 1-1 card.
The Red Lions look to regain their winning form against San Sebastian on Saturday, 11 a.m., at the same San Juan venue.
The Scores:
Benilde 70 – Ancheta 14, Ynot 13, Liwag 12, Sangco 7, Cometa 6, Oli 5, Torres 4, Morales 4, Sanchez 3, Eusebio 2, Cajucom 0, Turco 0
San Beda 65 – Sajonia 19, Andrada 13, Payosing 10, Puno 7, Gonzales 6, Calimag 5, Celzo 3, Songcuya 2, Royo 0, Bonzalida 0, Tagle 0, Estacio 0, Jalbuena 0
Quarterscores: 19-11, 32-33, 52-47, 60-60, 70-65.
