College of St. Benilde whipped up a third-quarter storm as it whitewashed Jose Rizal University, 80-65, on Sunday to remain unshakeable at the top in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.
Drawing strength from their defense and bench depth, the Blazers started breaking away in the third canto when they outscored the Bombers, 26-7, and never looked back from there to score their 10th win in 12 outings and solidified their grip on No. 1.
It was CSB’s fourth win in a row that continued to spruce its bid of claiming a spot in the Final Four, finishing in the top two for a twice-to-beat incentive and barging into the best-of-three finals where it hopes to end a 24-year championship wait.
Ian Torres erupted for a season-high 16 points off the bench, while bullstrong Allen Liwag provided the team the source of inside strength with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“Hinahayaan nila (coaching staff) ako maglaro,” said Liwag, who mentioned he was inspired by a big group of relatives from Alfonso, Cavite who kept cheering wildly for him each game.
JRU was actually in the game in the first half when it stuck with CSB like a leech and trailed by just a single-digit at the break.
And then CSB unleashed a hailstorm—a 24-4 run—to start the third period to bury JRU deep.
The Blazers made it a 77-40 advantage—their biggest in the duel—to further put the Bombers to rest.
JRU dropped to 3-9.
In the other game, Mapua went to Chris Hubilla in the first half and then rode on Marc Cuenco’s sweet shooting late as it eked out a vengeful 58-55 win over first-round tormentor San Beda.
The Cardinals claimed their 10th win in 13 games, good for No. 2, half a game behind the pace-setting St. Benilde Blazers (10-2).
The scores First Game
St. Benilde 80 – Torres 16, Liwag 12, Sanchez 10, Ancheta 9, Eusebio 9, Oli 6, Cajucom 5, Cometa 4, Ondoa 4, Serrano 2, Turco 2, Morales 1, Sangco 0, Jarque 0, Galas 0
JRU 65 – Guiab 17, Argente 14, Raymundo 13, Pangilinan 8, De Leon 4, Bernardo 4, Mosqueda 3, Lozan 2, Samontanes 0, Panapanaan 0, Sarmiento 0, Ferrer 0
Quarterscores: 21-16; 42-33; 68-40; 80-65
Games Tuesday (Filoil EcoOil Arena)
11 a.m.- Letran vs SSC-R
2:30 p.m.- UPHSD vs Arellano U
