BENILDE THRASHES LYCEUM, SETS NEW SEASON MARK
The College of Saint Benilde Blazers stormed back into form with a dominant 103-78 victory over the Lyceum of the Philippines University, snapping the Pirates' three-game winning streak on Friday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan City.
Despite missing their lead guard Jhomel Ancheta, who was serving a one-game suspension, the Blazers showed no signs of slowing down as they posted the highest point total in the NCAA Season 100 Seniors Basketball Tournament. Ancheta was suspended following an altercation with Letran’s Paolo Javillonar in Benilde’s previous game, a narrow 69-71 loss that handed the Blazers their first defeat of the season. His absence, however, did not derail Benilde’s potent offense.
“After nung game namin, nung natalo kami, kanya-kanya kami nag-review kung ano nangyari sa game na ‘yun. Kelangan talaga namin mag-focus kasi galing sa tatlong sunod na panalo yung Lyceum,” said Allen Liwag. Justine Sanchez echoed the sentiment, adding, “Unang-una, yung last game, masakit siya. Iniisip namin na kaya namin i-sweep. Pero good thing yun, nagising kami na hindi lagi dapat na iniisip namin for the win.”
The Blazers, undeterred by Ancheta’s absence, wasted no time asserting their dominance. They became the first team to breach 100 points in the tournament while setting a new scoring record under head coach Charles Tiu’s tenure.
Liwag led the charge, delivering a standout performance with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Sanchez added 18 points, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. From the opening tip, Benilde’s offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up 32 points in the first quarter against the Pirates' 22. A 12-4 scoring run in the second quarter, punctuated by a Mowell Morales triple, extended the Blazers’ lead to 43-31. By halftime, Benilde had built a comfortable 59-40 cushion, with Morales contributing a layup to close the first half.
Lyceum tried to rally in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 13 points after a Mclaude Guadana three-pointer brought the score to 67-54. However, the Blazers responded quickly, with Liwag scoring eight points in a 13-5 run that pushed Benilde’s lead back to 80-59 heading into the final frame.
By the fourth quarter, the outcome was all but sealed.
Benilde stretched their advantage to 28 points midway through the period, 93-65, before Irele Galas helped the team cross the 100-point threshold with six points in the closing minutes. Morales also contributed 10 points, while Ian Torres and Gab Cometa chipped in with nine apiece. In total, all but three Blazers made it onto the scoreboard in what was a complete team effort.
Benilde will look to build on this momentum as they face the struggling San Sebastian Stags next Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the same venue.
