College of St. Benilde drew strength from Allen Liwag inside and its three-point shooters as it repulsed a stubborn Emilio Aguinaldo College, 69-65, yesterday to put one foot inside the Final Four in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.
Liwag pounded it inside and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and the Blazers buried a total of 10 booming triples to help secure their 11th win in 13 outings and at least playoff for a Final Four berth.
It also kept CSB’s iron grip of lead and bolstered its chances of finishing in the top two and sealing a critical twice-to-beat incentive.
“Sinabihan ako nila coach mag adjust ako dahil pag nasa loob ako zone sila, pag nasa labas, man to man,” said the 6-6 Liwag.
The Blazers also got a big boost from the return of Tony Ynot, who was sidelined by a severe ankle sprain he sustained late in the first round, and was all over the place on this one with 14 points on top of four rebounds, the same number of assists and a steal.
CSB’s sweet outside shooting made up for a horrible free throw clip where they bricked 16 of the 33 shots they took there.
The result completed a season sweep for the Blazers, who routed the Generals, 77-55, in their first encounter last Sept. 14.
The Generals fell to 6-7.
The scores:
First Game
CSB 69 – Liwag 15, Ynot 14, Torres 9, Cometa 7, Eusebio 6, Sangco 5, Ondoa 4, Sanchez 3, Oli 3, Cajucom 3, Morales 0, Ancheta 0, Turco 0, Serrano 0
EAC 65 – Pagsanjan 16, Quinal 12, Gurtiza 10, Lucero 5, Doromal 5, Loristo 4, Bacud 4, Ochavo 3, Oftana 3, Bagay 3, Angeles 0, Luciano 0, Ednilag 0, Umpad 0
Quarterscores: 13-20; 34-34; 49-44; 69-65
Games Tuesday (Filoil EcoOil Arena)
11 a.m.- Mapua vs LPU
2:30 p.m.- San Beda vs JRU
