Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Jose Rizal University ended its roller coaster campaign and crushed St. Benilde by 28 points, 81-53, for its first winning streak in the NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball tournament Friday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
“Finally, we’re able to win back-to-back,” said coach Vergel Meneses as the Heavy Bombers moved up to 4-3.
Ervin Grospe topped the balanced attack for JRU with 14 points and five assists, while Tey Teodoro added 13 markers on a 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Jed Mendoza also added 12 points and four rebounds, Abdul Sawat chimed in 10 markers while playing assistant coach Gio Lasquety did the dirty work with three points, seven boards, seven assists, and four steals.
Abdulwahab Abdul Razak also imposed his presence in the frontline as he hauled in 18 rebounds on top of his six markers.
JRU’s defense shut down St. Benilde in the second quarter, limiting the Blazers to just seven points as the Heavy Bombers jumped to a 38-19 halftime lead which even ballooned to 31 late in the game.
With JRU winning two straight games, Meneses is hopeful that his players would realize that the difference between success and failure boils down to consistency.
“If they play with hustle and energy, it’s easy for us to get a basket. But in turn, if we don’t have that, it will be hard for us because we’ll play sluggish,” he said.
Carlo Young paced St. Benilde (2-6) with 14 points and three rebounds, while Edward Dixon fired 13 markers and four boards in the loss.
The Scores:
JRU 81 – Grospe 14, Teodoro 13, Mendoza 12, Sawat 10, Dela Virgen 8, Poutouochi 7, Bordon 6, Abdul Razak 6, Lasquety 3, David 2, Mate 0, Sibangan 0, Castor 0.
ST. BENILDE 53 – Young 14, Dixon 13, Sta. Maria 8, Naboa 6, Leutcheu 4, Johnson 4, San Juan 2, Castor 1, Pili 1, Velasco 0, Bunyi 0, Suarez 0.
Quarters: 17-12, 38-19, 70-44, 81-53.