MANILA, Philippines — College of Saint Benilde went blazing in their NCAA Season 102 campaign opener after taking down defending champion and host school San Beda University, 77-68, on Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Despite the absence of two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Allen Liwag, the Blazers pulled a late surge in the fourth quarter, led by Jhomel Ancheta, who finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Both teams played tug of war in the first three cantos before Ancheta drained a triple with two minutes and 48 seconds remaining, 68-64, to mount a lead.
Lawrence Hawkins responded with a jumper for San Beda,68-66, but Raffy Celis and Ancheta pulled aback-to-back two-point play for a 72-66 cushion with 31.99 seconds remaining.
RC Calimag swished a basket along the perimeter, but rookie Matthew Jucom was fouled and converted one of his two free throws to hold a gap over the Red Lions, 73-68.
In the dying seconds of the match, Ancheta scored via a layup, followed by Celis’ slam dunk that sealed Benilde’s victory, silencing the dominant San Beda crowd, 77-68.
Head coach Paolo Layug shared that while this is a good start for the team, there’s still more work that needs to be done.
“Of course, it’s nice to win a campaign opener, any team, not just San Beda. But I still think that we’re far from what we’re trying to execute; we didn’t playsolidtoday, and we need to work towards that improvement,” the head tactician said.
Aside from Ancheta, Jucom added 18 points and six rebounds for Benilde, while Irele Galas and Celis added 12 and 11 points, each.
Playing with noJomel Puno in the lineup, former University of the Philippines (UP) gunner Sean Torculas led the scoring with 19 points.
