The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers faltered against the Colegio De San Juan De Letrán (CSJL) Knights, 69-71, ending their so-far flawless record on Sept. 22 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The Blazers opened with a score from Mark Sangco, however, the Knights responded with consecutive three-pointers. Matthew Oli and Tony Ynot led the early offense for the team and were able to get the lead, 10-8. Knights’ Vince Cuajao and Paolo Javillonar led a crusade against the Blazers with a 14-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Benilde suffered a major disarmament as Jhomel Ancheta was removed from the game after a physical altercation with Javillonar. Despite this setback, the Taft Squad was able to march through the Intramuros squad, finishing the second quarter in their favor, 41-35. 

Sherick Estrada led the Muralla Squad’s offensive plays in the third quarter to tie the game, 46-46. Allen Liwag and Ian Torres, in pursuit of redemption, took the offensive load, denting their opponents’ defense, 55-46. 

The fourth quarter became a test of faith for the two teams as they joust for supremacy. Anton Eusebio, Ynot, and Liwag became the bloodline of the Blazers as they battled with infernal intensity against their opponents. Letran’s Cuajao made a fiery run when he nailed three consecutive shots from the arc to rack up a total of nine points. The Benilde Blazers failed to secure the win as the Letran Knights sunk their final point, breaking Benilde’s four-game win streak,  69-71. 

The Blazers aim to bounce back in their next game against the Lyceum of the Philippines (LPU) Pirates on Sept. 27 at the same venue with a live telecast on the Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and Youtube pages.

Box Scores:

DLS-CSB (69): Ynot 15, Liwag 12, Sangco 11, Torres 7, Cajucom 6, Sanchez 5, Eusebio 5, Ancheta 4, Cometa 2, Oli 2

CSJL (71): Cuajao 20, Estrada 17, Javillonar 13, Montecillo 8, Monje 8, Santos 2, Nunag 2, Galoy 1