The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers outplayed the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers, 80-65, to top the rankings with 10 wins in the #NCAA100, today, Oct. 20, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Heavy Bombers stole the early momentum against the Blazers to take the lead, 1-7. However, Matthew Oli denied JRU with a three-pointer all the way from Taft Avenue. The presence of Roger Ondoa in the paint led the Blazers back on track as they claimed the first quarter in their favor, 21-17.
The next quarter saw the Heavy Bombers’ Robin Bernardo explode in the paint to trim the deficit to a one possession ball game, 35-32. However, Gab Cometa powered through JRU’s defense as he regained a comfortable lead for the Blazers to cap off the first half, 42-33.
The Blazers sent Jhomel Ancheta, Justine Sanchez, Ian Torres, and Allen Liwag to start the second half strong with a stunning 25-0 run. The Blazers limited their opponents to only 7 points for the entire quarter, nailing down the third period, 68-40.
Eusebio and Torres led the Taft Squad in the final attack against the Shaw Squad; however, Marvin Raymundo and Joshua Guiab rose in their time of need and capitalized on the absence of Liwag in the paint. Ultimately, the Blazers’ firepower and momentum propelled them to victory, 80-65.
Liwag was crowned as player of the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal making him a strong contender for the Season MVP title. Torres was the top scorer with 16 points, a rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals to mark his career high in NCAA.
The Blazers will face the Lyceum of the Philippines (LPU) Pirates on Oct. 23 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 (80): Torres 16, Liwag 12, Sanchez 10, Ancheta 9, Eusebio 9, Oli 6, Cajucom 5, Cometa 4, Ondoa 4, Serrano 2, Turco 2, Morales 1
JRU (65): Guiab 17, Argente 14, Raymundo 13, Pangilinan 8, De Leon 4, Bernardo 4, Mosqueda 3, Lozano 2
