The College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers showed grit and depth, overcoming a flu-stricken lineup to turn back the Letran Knights, 95-80, in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Arena on Wednesday.
Despite missing four key players recovering from illness, the Blazers found their rhythm behind veteran Justine Sanchez, who stepped up in the second half to lead the charge.
“Sabog ang laro ko sa first half. Sabi ni coach (Charles Tiu), ayusin mo laro mo, wag mo sisihin teammates mo,” admitted Sanchez, who responded with a fiery performance down the stretch.
Sanchez tallied 12 of his points in the final quarter as CSB broke away from a slim 74-72 lead, unleashing a 21-6 closing run that sealed their second straight win in Group B.
Matthew Oli added 20 points, while Jhomel Ancheta chipped in 16 for the Blazers, who improved to 2-0.
For Letran, Jonathan Manalili flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, but his efforts weren’t enough to prevent the Knights from slipping to 0-3.
In the juniors’ division, the Letran Squires held their nerve in the closing minutes to escape La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) Greenies, 70-69, and remain unbeaten in Group B.
Ethan Egea led the Squires with 15 points, while Mico Pascual’s jumper with 2:27 left proved to be the game-winner, lifting Letran to a spotless 3-0 record.
The Greenies, who dropped to 2-1, had multiple chances to steal the win but came up short. Josef Calo-oy paced LSGH with 22 points, though the team faltered with four turnovers and three missed attempts in the final minute.
