St Benilde big man Will Gozum had another solid game. –NCAA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—College of St. Benilde returned to the win column after trouncing Arellano, 84-72, in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament at San Juan Arena on Wednesday.
The Blazers enforced a strong second quarter and never looked back to tie with Lyceum at the top with identical 4-1 win-loss records.
“Our goal is to win every game so we don’t like losing. When you lose you have a bad taste in your mouth so I’m happy they responded well,” Benilde head coach Charles Tiu said.
The Blazers tallied their first season loss against defending champion Letran on Friday, 81-75.
The Chiefs and Blazers figured in a stalemate at the end of the first quarter, 20-all, befo
Benilde suddenly got hot in the second quarter, going on a 16-2 run to gain a 36-22 advantage.
The Blazers’ lead ballooned to 22, 60-38, in the third quarter.
The Chiefs cut the deficit to 13 with under two minutes left, 78-65, but Mark Sangco sank an inside floater to put the game beyond reach, 80-65. He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Will Gozum continued his double-double tirade with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Benilde. JC Cullar added to the Blazers win with 10 points and seven assists.
Axel Doromal finished with a game-high 23 markers for Arellano, which dropped to 3-3 in the standings. Cade Flores (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Danielle Mallari (11 markers and 11 boards) also recorded double-doubles of their own.