The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers heartbreakingly fell short against San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions in the final game of the semifinal series today, Dec. 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Reigning MVP Allen Liwag wasted no time as he started strong for Benilde with four points to his name. On the other end of the court, Janti Miller, who returned from an injury, made his presence known after draining a trey. However, Tony Ynot and Raffy Celis anchored the Taft squad for a five-point cushion to end the first period, 26-21.
The men in green and white ignited their offense with veteran Josh Cajucom’s hot hands, scoring ten points with two treys and two mid-range jumpers. Shawn Umali and Liwag contributed to the tally, keeping the Mendiola squad at a distance. The Red Lions tried to tighten the gap, but several missed shots left them behind the Blazers. Ian Torres clutched with a three-point shot at the buzzer to close the second quarter on a high note, 45-34.
Team captain Yukien Andrada set the tone for the Red Lions with a three pointer to kick off the second half. Meanwhile, Celis did not take his foot off the gas pedal as he explosively jammed the ball, 58-49. Andrada and Miller remained steady for the men donning red and white to trim the deficit to five points, 64-59.
The battle intensified in the payoffs as Benilde was eager to maintain their score advantage while Andrada and Bryan Sajonia persistently inched their way to tighten the gap. Despite Torres and Sanchez’s efforts, the Taft squad still trailed by two due to San Beda’s pesky defense.
In the end, it was Andrada’s clean sweep of free throws in the last four minutes that sealed the deal for the Red Lions. The Blazers remained hopeful in their final possession; however, Sanchez missed a potential game-tying three pointer, concluding the game at 81-84.
In spite of Benilde’s defeat, Ynot managed to score 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Celis supported their fight with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Benilde Blazers now set their eyes on the Battle for Third against the University of Perpetual Help System of DALTA (UPHSD) Altas on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (81): Ynot 18, Celis 14, Torres 12, Liwag 10, Cajucom 10, Ancheta 7, Umali 6, Sanchez 4
SBU (84): Andrada 27, Miller 26, Sajonia 10, Gonzales 7, Puno 6, Celzo 4, Lina 4
