The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers dominated the San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) Golden Stags to capture their second win and boost their record to 2-1 in the FilOil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup, today, May 22, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The opening frame witnessed an even playing field for the two teams, with both interestingly in the rebuilding phase and filled with fresh faces after the departure of most of their key players in NCAA Season 99. The Benilde Blazers showcased their excellent transition offense, while the Golden Stags repeatedly staged backdoor plays to add points to the board. Stags’ key holdovers Rex Gabat and Raymart Escobido started to find their offensive rhythm. However, promising California-based recruit Matthew Oli and big-man Paul Turco chipped in to pull away with a 8-point lead to cap off the quarter, 20-12.
In the second quarter, the Recto squad’s unorganized offense got the best of them, while the chemistry and sharp three-point shots of the Taft squad allowed them to dominate, 48-26.
Escobido kicked off the second half with a sneaky drive to the basket after a quiet second frame for the men in red and gold. On the other end of the court, the men in green and white already headed into penalty just two minutes into the quarter. Despite the early disadvantage, Gene Carillo, Mowell Morales, and Oli made it rain from downtown, extending the Blazers lead, 71-47.
While the rest of the Golden Stags started to find their groove, it was too late to trim the big deficit. The Benilde Blazers continued to play unselfishly and perform well overall to win their second game, 86-64.
Oli shined as the best player of the game with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Joshua Cajucom also chipped in double figures with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
Catch the Blazers as they face the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers next Tuesday, May 28, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, with live coverage in the FilOil EcoOil Sports Facebook and YouTube pages.
