The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers ended their first-round run with a win over the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers, 92-79, on Oct. 26 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Both teams started with determination, as the Blazers aimed to finish their first round with another win while the JRU Heavy Bombers returned from weeks of hiatus due to health and safety protocols. It was quite a tight ball game, with the first frame ending with only a point difference, 20-19.
The Heavy Bombers were on the lead until Benilde’s big man Will Gozum made it rain for the Blazers and scored 14 of his monster high points during the second quarter. However, JRU’s Ry Dela Rosa did not let the scoring machine go and tried to match the big guy with 14 points for the second half. The Blazers escaped with two points of a lead, 45-43.
Dela Rosa sought revenge for the second half as he left the Blazers on a 3-8 run, 48-51. Veteran James Pasturan led the Taft squad to the lead with a three-point shot from Miguel Oczon’s swift pass, 55-53. It was then that the rest of the team followed with multiple successful baskets ending the third frame with a nine-point lead, 67-58.
The men in green and white powered through JRU’s towering defenses as the game became more physical. Miguel Corteza had a powerful connection with the other Miguel (Oczon), which led him to score six more points during the last frame. Corteza was fouled out by an unsportsmanlike foul by John Amores with only 20 seconds left of the game ending in favor of the Blazers, 92-79.
Gozum set another record for the season, finishing with 34 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and 76.5% accuracy on the field. With his MVP-like performance, Coach Charles Tiu is still concerned about the sloppy turnovers he had during the game, “We would not have won this game without Will, he really carried us, but he still had seven turnovers and zero assists [...] I guess we have to work on his passing a lot.”
“Thankful ako sa mga coaches na hindi nagsasawang tulungan ako,” Gozum shared how he still has so much to work on being a complete player and gives credit to the coaching staff.
The Benilde Blazers will aim to keep their winning streak when they go up against the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions at the same venue on Oct. 29 at 3:00 p.m, with a live telecast on NCAA Philippines’ Facebook and Youtube page.
Box scores:
DLS-CSB (92) - Gozum 34, Corteza 13, Oczon 12, Pasturan 10, Sumabat 9, Sangco 4, Carlos 4, Cullar 2, Nayve 2, Mara 2, Dimayuga 0, Flores 0
JRU (79) - Dela Rosa 26, Amores 19, Guiab 12, Medina 7, Miranda 6, Sy 4, Gonzales 3, Dionisio 2, Famaranco 0, Joson 0, Tan 0, De Jesus 0
