MANILA, Philippines – Make that seven straight wins for the College of St. Benilde Blazers.
After a slow start to the game, CSB banked on a huge second-quarter rally to turn back the Letran Knights, 83-78, and keep its fiery winning streak going in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Friday, November 8.
CSB started the game on the wrong foot as it quickly trailed Letran by double figures, 0-12, before going down by as many as 14 points with less than 20 seconds to go in the first frame, 13-27.
The Blazers, though, quickly showed why they are the No. 1 team in the league as they unleashed a massive 32-10 rally in the second period to come up with their own double-digit cushion at the half, 47-37.
With CSB leading by its largest at 16 points, 70-54, early in the fourth quarter, Letran staged a late fightback, trimming the deficit to only 6 points, 75-81, off a three-pointer by Paolo Javillonar with 39.6 seconds to go.
Unfortunately for the Knights, it was too little, too late as top MVP candidate Allen Liwag immediately sealed the deal for the Blazers with a layup in the following play.
Liwag continued to be a force inside the paint as he finished with a near double-double of 20 points and 8 rebounds for the Blazers, who inched closer to locking up a twice-to-beat Final Four bonus after improving to a 13-2 slate.
Justine Sanchez also stepped up with an all-around performance of 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals as CSB got back at its first-round tormentor Letran and handed the struggling Knights their third straight defeat.
The Blazers spoiled a career-high 31-point explosion by the PBA-bound Javillonar, who shot an impressive 8-of-11 clip from beyond the arc.
Jimboy Estrada backed up Javillonar with a near triple-double of 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists for the Knights, whose Final Four hopes suffered a huge blow after dropping to the sixth spot with a 7-9 record.
Earlier, the Lyceum Pirates improved their playoff chances and officially eliminated the JRU Heavy Bombers from Final Four contention with a narrow 82-80 escape in the opening game.
High-scoring guard Ato Barba showed the way for LPU with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Renz Villegas and Gyle Montano added 18 markers each.
The Pirates overcame an ultra-efficient performance by JRU big man Joshua Guiab, who sizzled for a career-best 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 8-of-10 clip from the foul line, to go with a game-high 9 rebounds.
LPU moved up to solo fourth place with an even 8-8 card, while JRU fell to the 10th and last spot with a 4-12 slate.
First Game
LPU 82 – Barba 20, Villegas 18, Montano 18, Penafiel 10, Cunanan 4, Aviles 4, Versoza 4, Guadana 3, Daileg 1, Moralejo 0, Panelo 0.
JRU 80 – Guiab 27, De Jesus 14, Pangilinan 10, Barrera 9, Raymundo 8, Sarmiento 4, Argente 3, Ferrer 3, Bernardo 2, Mosqueda 0, De Leon 0, Lozano 0, Panapanaan 0, Samontanes 0.
Quarters: 23-21, 47-38, 64-61, 82-80.
Second Game
CSB 83 – Liwag 20, Sanchez 16, Sangco 11, Ynot 7, Torres 7, Ancheta 7, Eusebio 7, Ondoa 6, Morales 2, Cometa 0, Oli 0, Cajucom 0.
Letran 78 – Javillonar 31, Estrada 13, Cuajao 10, Montecillo 9, Miller 6, Nunag 5, Monje 4, Delfino 0, Pradella 0, Jumao-os 0, Dimaano 0.
Quarters: 15-27, 47-37, 62-54, 83-78.
– Rappler.com
