The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers’ tactical superiority outplayed the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals, 77-55, extending their win streak to three, today, Sept. 14, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Led by Allen Liwag, Jhomel Ancheta, and Tony Ynot, the Blazers deployed a barrage of decisive blows with an early 7-0 run. The Generals opened with a strikeback by King Gurtiza and Harvey Pagsanjan closing the gap to 12-10. However, the Taft Squad showed their mastery on the hardcourt by storming the defense of the Generals, closing the first quarter in their favor, 22-15.
Determined to bounce back, Gurtiza, at the helm of the Ermita Squad, unleashed an all-out assault against the Taft Squad. Gab Cometa and Ynot responded by collapsing the defensive stances of the Generals as they dismantled the Generals’ fort by firing two consecutive three-pointers. This gave Benilde a comfortable lead to conclude the second quarter, 41-32.
As the third quarter roles in, the men in green and white proved their impenetrable defense after denying the offensive runs of the Generals, catching the men in red and white off guard with a two-way display by Justin Sanchez. Gurtiza and Pagsanjan then led a retaliatory effort to close the widening gap against the Blazers, however, it was unsuccessful as Cometa nailed the shot from the arc to end the third quarter, 59-48.
The final period became a show of force for the Taft Squad as Anton Eusebio drained two consecutive three-pointers at the crumbling defenses of the Ermita Squad. The Blazers then outflanked their opponents, further overrunning the already outmatched Generals. Edson Serrano put the cherry on top as he scored the final point of the game with a free throw, 77-55.
Sanchez was hailed player of the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block, while Ynot was the top scorer with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.
The Blazers will face the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) Altas on Sept. 18 at the same venue with a live telecast on the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (77): Ynot 16, Sanchez 14, Ancheta 10, Eusebio 9, Liwag 7, Jarque 7, Cometa 7, Sangco 4, Serrano 2, Cajucom 1
EAC (55): Gurtiza 16, Pagsanjan 10, Ochavo 4, Umpad 4, Quinal 4, Ednilag 4, Oftana 3, Angeles 3, Doromal 3, Luciano 2, Bagay 2, Loristo 1
