The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers fought off the gutsy Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers to earn their third consecutive victory, 73-65, today, Oct. 12, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Despite missing the services of MVP Allen Liwag and team captain Gab Cometa once again, the Blazers sent a strong message courtesy of an SJ Moore alley-oop to kick off the game. A tight contest commenced as the Taft squad only managed to lead by three to end the first quarter, 22-19. Benilde picked up where they left off to thwart the Heavy Bombers as Raffy Celis and Justine Sanchez led the way to secure an eight-point cushion at the half, 42-34

Just when the men in green and white built a double-digit lead, Heavy Bombers’ rookie duo Sean Salvador and Sanlea Peñaverde, together with veteran Shawn Argente, staged an impressive run to erase the lead at 49-49. Fortunately, a steady free throw by Mowell Morales and a clutch buzzer-beating three-pointer from Sanchez gave Benilde a much-needed breather heading into the final period, 55-51. 

As the outcome of the game hung in the balance with both teams exchanging baskets with two and a half minutes remaining, Celis and Sanchez fended off JRU with a 10-2 run to boost Benilde’s win-loss record to 3-1 and claim the top spot in Group B of the NCAA Season 100 Basketball Tournament, 73-65. 

Celis was awarded the player of the game honors with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. 

The Blazers aim to continue their winning ways as they face off against the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs on Oct. 19 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.

Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (73): Celis 20, Sanchez 17, Morales 7, Ancheta 5, Umali 5, Moore 5, Oli 5, Gaspay 3, Eusebio 2, Cajucom 2, Ynot 1, Galas 1

CSJL (65): Salvador 13, Peñaverde 11, Argente 9, Lozano 9, Benitez 7, Panapanaan 5, Laurenaria 5, Garupil 4, Herrera 2