The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers tallied another victory against the winless Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Knights, 95-80, today, Oct. 8, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The flu-struck Blazers entered the match without reigning MVP Allen Liwag, team captain Gab Cometa, and veteran Joshua Cajucom. Meanwhile, the Knights, who were hungry for their first win, marched into battle without Jimboy Estrada, who is also down with the flu. A back-and-forth affair commenced in the first canto until Matthew Oli heroically stepped up to power a Blazers’ surge and widen the gap, 31-18. 

Blazer Tony Ynot made his Season 101 debut to open the second quarter. On the other side of the court, a fired-up Jonathan Manalili effortlessly shifted the tide of the game in Letran’s  favor while the Blazers were afflicted by foul trouble, 44-45. 

The men donning green and white continued to chase the tail of the Intramuros squad. Just when a slam dunk by SJ Moore and a shifty lay up by Justine Sanchez evened the score at 60-60, Manalili gave the Knights a lead with a trey to end the third quarter, 62-65. Ultimately, the Benilde Blazers remained one step ahead to pull away with Sanchez at the helm to close out the game, 95-80.

Sanchez was named player of the game with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, while Oli had a breakout performance pitching in 20 points on a perfect field goal percentage. 

The Blazers aim to extend the winning streak as they face off against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers on Oct. 12 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 (95): Sanchez 23, Oli 20, Ancheta 16, Umali 13, Moore 8, Celis 6, Gaspay 4, Torres 4, Ynot 1

CSJL (80): Manalili 23, Gammad 18, Cuajao 15, Santos 7, Buensalida 7, Omega 5, Gazzingan 4, Tapenio 1