College of Saint Benilde vented its ire on Mapua, 85-72, to solidify its grip on the lead in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre Wednesday.
The Blazers capitalized on the Cardinals’ offensive struggles in the payoff period to improve their league’s best record to 8-2.
Bouncing back from its stunning 75-80 loss to last-placed Emilio Aguinaldo College, Benilde made sure that there won’t be a repeat of last Sunday’s reversal.
Will Gozum produced a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, while Miggy Corteza chipped in 22 points and eight boards for the Blazers.
After a scoreless first three periods, Migs Oczon contributed six points in Benilde’s 24-8 fourth quarter.
Warren Bonifacio led Mapua with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals while JJ Pido contributed 16 points, six boards, two assists and two blocks.
The Cardinals suffered their ninth loss in 11 games.
The Blazers went on a telling 19-1 run to put the game beyond recall at 80-65 with less than three minutes left to play.
The scores:
First Game
Benilde (85)—Gozum 25, Corteza 22, Cullar 8, Nayve 6, Oczon 6, Sangco 5, Carlos 5, Pasturan 2, Lepalam 2, Marcos 2, Flores 2, Davis 0.
Mapua (72)—Bonifacio 21, Pido 13, Agustin 12, Hernandez 10, Nocum 6, Cuenco 5, Soriano 3, Salenga 2, Mercado 0, Lacap 0, Garcia 0, Parinas 0.
Quarterscores: 24-16, 40-42, 61-64, 85-72
