Migs Oczon and St. Benilde Blazers. –NCAA/GMA PHOTO
Migs Oczon drained a pair of important treys as St. Benilde bucked a strong scoring show from James Kwekuteye to upend San Beda, 78-69 and keep its place atop the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament standings on Sunday.
The second of those clutch threes came with 30 seconds remaining, giving the Blazers a 76-67 lead.
St. Benilde notched its seventh win in eight games, staying undefeated since dropping its first game of the season despite being tested heavily by Kwekuteye, who had a career-high 28 points for San Beda.
“James played great, he was solid but I give credit to the guys, especially my guards because they made him work. He didn’t have easy shots and he had to work for his shots,” Benilde coach Charles Tiu said.
Lyceum got back into its groove after losing a step in the race for the No. 1 spot and it outlasted San Sebastian, 82-79, in overtime in the other game.
The Pirates stayed at solo second behind the Blazers with their sixth win in eight outings after reliever JM Bravo scored seven of Lyceum’s nine points in overtime to ice the victory.
“My first, second and third unit are starting to be the same. They’re so good that if they are put in other schools, they can be included in the first five. That’s the reason why I trust my players with all my heart,” Lyceum coach Gilbert Malabanan said. INQ