The De La-Salle College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers kept the tide in their favor as they sent the Lyceum Philippines University (LPU) Pirates sailing home empty-handed with a 107-103 victory today, Oct. 30, at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila City.
The Blazers drew first blood as Saentis Moore notched the first points on the board with a reverse layup. Despite an early three-pointer from Lyceum’s Mclaude Guadana, Moore and Matthew Jucom responded with consecutive triples while Jhommel Ancheta spearheaded the offensive push. The Intramuros squad attempted to keep pace as Simon Penafiel and Jonathan Daileg traded layups, but Benilde asserted control, building a commanding 16-point lead to close the opener, 35–19.
In the second canto, Raffy Celis set the tone for the Blazers with a slam, followed by Justine Sanchez’s layup to sustain their offensive momentum. Jucom knocked down a jump shot before sinking back-to-back triples from long range, further stretching Benilde’s lead. Lyceum retaliated behind Matthew Rubico, chipping in with free throws and a layup, alongside contributions from Axl Manuel that helped cut the deficit. The Pirates rode their momentum with Guadana’s attempt to narrow the gap through a three-pointer, but the Blazers remained in control, taking a 67–51 lead into halftime.
After the break, the men in green and white held on to their advantage courtesy of Jucom’s shot near the rim and John Morales’ consecutive treys. On the other end, Renz Villegas answered for the Pirates with successive jump shots before draining another basket from the arc. Despite the Pirates’ efforts to close the gap, the Blazers kept their distance heading into the final quarter, 87–71.
The Pirates came alive in the payoff period as Rubico and Guadana powered their offense with consecutive threes. Ancheta quickly answered with a three of his own, keeping the Blazers’ offense rolling. Villegas and Rubico continued to fuel their offensive surge, but Morales countered with a two-pointer and a triple to keep Lyceum from gaining ground. Jucom and Ian Torres then delivered crucial treys to reinforce the Blazers’ lead, while Villegas kept the Pirates within striking distance with his continued offensive push. However, Benilde stood firm amid the late-game pressure, fending off LPU’s rally to clinch a hard-fought 107–103 victory.
Morales was hailed as the Player of the Game with 18 points and 5 rebounds, while Jucom led the tally with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Blazers look to settle the score against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers following their previous defeat, as the two teams face off once again on Nov. 6 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City, with a live telecast on One Sports on YouTube, PilipinasLIVE on CignalPlay and NCAA NXT on Cignal TV.
Box Scores:
DLS-CSB (107) - Jucom 23, Moore 18, Morales 18, Ancheta 17,, Sanchez 9, Gonzaga 8, Celis 4, Torres 4, Cajucom 2, Daja 2, Galas 2, Podador 0, Lorenzo 0
LPU (103) - Rubico 28, Villegas 26, Guadana 15, Aurigue 11, Penafiel 8, Daileg 7, Matienzo 4, Manuel 3, Nocum 2, Pallingayan 0, Panelo 0, Almario 0, Fuentes 0, Gordon 0, Cardinas 0,
Quarter Scores: 35-19, 67-51, 87-71, 107-103
