MANILA – College of St. Benilde Blazers exacted its revenge on Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, 68-55, in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball on Sunday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan.
Negrense forward Miguel Corteza had a near double-double numbers of 12 points and nine rebounds as the Blazers finished the first round of eliminations with a 5-4 win-loss record.
Miguel Oczon, meanwhile, continued to be a reliable weapon for the Blazers as he dropped 15 points, to go with six rebounds, and six assists while Robi Nayve chipped in 12 markers.
The victory served as a revenge for the Blazers against the defending champion Knights after the latter defeated the former in three games during the NCAA Season 98 finals series.
“We need a win badly. We are still disappointed with how our first round went. But we still have time to catch up,” said Blazers head coach Charles Tiu in a post-game interview.
Already ahead by nine points at the half, the Blazers pulled away further in the third quarter as they unloaded an 18-6 scoring run, capped by a layup by Corteza for a 53-32 lead.
The Knights, which continued to struggle heavily this season under head coach Rensy Bajar, failed to muster a comeback in the fourth quarter, allowing the Blazers to pull away with the victory.
Vince Cuajao was the lone scorer in double digits for the Knights with 11 points, while Kint Ariar contributed 11 rebounds and nine markers as they dropped to 1-9 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, San Beda University Red Lions continued their winning ways after an 86-72 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals to close their first round of eliminations with 7-2 slate.
Clifford Jopia was named Player of the Game after tallying a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Red Lions, which was led by the 17 points of Jacob Cortez and 14 of Yukien Andrada./PN
BOX SCORE:
CSB 68– Oczon 15, Corteza 12, Nayve 12, Carlos 8, Gozum 7, Sangco 5, Turco 4, Cajucom 3, Mara 2, Marasigan 1, Arciaga 0, Morales 0, Marcos 0, Jalalon 0.
LETRAN 55– Cuajao 11, Ariar 9, Santos 9, Reyson 7, Javillonar 5, Monje 4, Fajardo 3, Guarino 3, Nunag 2, Go 2, Bojorcelo 0, Bautista 0.
Quarterscores: 18-11; 35-26; 60-40; 68-55.
