College of Saint Benilde was supposed to go 0-3 against one of the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s top contenders. But that wasn’t the case as the Blazers put on a gallant effort to score a stunning 70-67 win over Mapua on Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan to barge into the win column.
This time, Carlo Lastimosa was backstopped by Jan Tan, Mark Romero and Jonathan Grey as CSB fought the Cardinals through the first three quarters before finally getting the upper hand in the game’s final four minutes. The lanky Tan finished with 15 points and four rebounds, Romero had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists while Lastimosa turned in 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Grey, meanwhile, had 10 points including a basket that made it 29-22 in the second period.
It was Romero who put St Benilde on top for good when he hit a triple for a 65-63 lead before later taking a 69-63 lead with three minutes remaining. Mapua tried to rally when it pulled to within 69-67 with under a minute left but Josan Nimes missed a layup and Tan hit one-of-two from the line to extend the lead to three with 12 ticks to go. Nimes had a chance to tie the game but missed a three-pointer on the last possession, giving CSB a win that was witnessed by its green-wearing fans.
The win put the Blazers into a tie with Jose Rizal University for seventh at 1-2.
St Benilde also won by capitalizing on the absence of Fil-Palestinian center Yousef Taha, who was suspended one game for throwing the ball at Letran’s Kevin Alas.
Meanwhile, CSB-La Salle Greenhills continued its sizzling start in the juniors division by blasting MIT-Malayan, 88-64. The Greenies now hold a perfect 3-0 record.
Center Angelo Vito had 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks while Mario Bonleon fell a rebound shy of a double-double with 20 points and nine boards. Thomas Torres produced 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals as the Greenies dominated the Red Robins who likewise equaled their seniors counterparts at 0-2.
Box scores:
Juniors
CSB-LSGH 88 – Vito 23, Bonleon 20, Torres 17, Yap 8, Laigo 6, Sy 3, Paras 3, Sta Clara 2, Ramilo 2, Barrera 2, Tesorero 2, Manzano 0, Mercado 0.
MIT-MALAYAN 64 – Valdez 17, Basas 17, Alejandro 16, de Castro 6, Mena 4, Castillo 2, Guzman 2, Aviso 0, Serrano 0, Pancho 0, Tolentino 0, Ramos 0, dela Cruz 0.
Quarters: 19-17; 43-33; 69-51; 88-64.
Seniors
ST BENILDE 70 – Tan 15, Romero 11, Lastimosa 11, Grey 10, Altamirano 8, de la Paz 5, McCoy 4, Sinco 3, Taha 3, Pate 0.
MAPUA 67 – Ighalo 12, Sarangay 10, Mangahas 10, Nimes 9, Banal 9, Cantos 6, Ranises 6, Pascual 4, Stevens 1, Parala 0.
Quarters: 15-15; 33-30; 56-57; 70-67.
