BENILDE BLAZES PAST ARELLANO, SECURES REVENGE WIN
The College of Saint Benilde Blazers exacted their revenge on Arellano University with a commanding 100-77 win, keeping their spot at the top of the standings in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Blazers, still smarting from a 73-71 upset loss to the Chiefs on October 4, came out with a vengeance, dominating from start to finish.
For fourth-year head coach Charles Tiu, the game plan was simple: take care of the ball better. The Blazers had committed 24 turnovers in their previous encounter with Arellano, and that was something Tiu knew had to be addressed.
“It’s been something we’ve talked about since that loss. We just needed to take better care of the basketball. We haven’t been too smart with it,” Tiu explained. “Today, we made some adjustments. I’ve been stressing those turnovers for weeks now. At least today, we had a game na medyo decent yung turnovers namin,” he added. This time around, Benilde limited their errors to just 11.
Leading the charge for the Blazers was Gab Cometa, who exploded for a career-high 23 points. The sharp-shooting guard from Cebu was nearly unstoppable, hitting 10-of-14 from the field, including three three-pointers. His offensive outburst set the tone early, with 17 of his points coming in the first half, allowing Benilde to take control with a 33-15 lead by the second quarter.
“He’s one of the guys we challenged. He owned up to the game against San Sebastian. Sabi niya babawi siya, and he more than made up for it,” Tiu shared, recalling Cometa’s subpar six-point outing in their previous 91-85 win over San Sebastian.
Cometa’s hot start was just the beginning, as the rest of the Blazers followed suit. They extended their lead to as much as 34 points, 88-54, late in the game, putting the contest well out of reach for Arellano. With the victory, Benilde improved to 9-2, keeping a full-game lead over second-placed Mapua.
“We have to focus on our goal, which is to finish number one in the elimination round. Any given day, any team can beat another team. It’s been a great season so far,” said Tiu.
Justine Sanchez also delivered for the Blazers with a double-double, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Allen Liwag contributed 12 points and six boards. Every Blazer who saw action, except for Jesse Arciaga, managed to score in the game. Tony Ynot remains day-to-day due to injury and did not play.
Benilde is set to face JRU next, with tip-off scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m.
