Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 29) – A fourth quarter scoring surge spelled the difference for the College of St. Benilde Blazers to notch their first win in NCAA Season 97 at the expense of the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, 79-68, on Tuesday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
Robi Nayve fired off 17 points in the contest while Will Gozum added 15 markers and eight rebounds to give Charles Tiu his first win as the Blazers head coach, after losing their opening game against defending champions Letran last Saturday.
After a tight first half that saw both squads exchange leads, CSB took control of the game in the third quarter from long range shots of Nayve and inside baskets from big man AJ Benson.
The Blazers successfully converted their offensive executions in the last three minutes of the match to pull away with a double-digit lead, which rose to 14 points from a Navye three point-shot with 55 seconds left.
“Feels nice to get the win but it’s just one game. I’m a guy who never really gets too high or too low, but I’m very grateful that we won,” Tiu said after the game.
Enoch Valdez was the top scorer for Lyceum with 13 points and eight rebounds while Shawn Umali contributed 11 markers as the Pirates dropped to the bottom of the team standings with 0-2.
The two teams will be back in action on Saturday as CSB will face Arellano at the first game at noon, while Lyceum looks to barge themselves into the winning column against Emilio Aguinaldo College at the second game at 3 p.m.
The Scores:
CSB 79 – Nayve 17, Gozum 15, Cullar 11, Benson 11, Marcos 9, Corteza 4, Publico 3, Lim 2, Davis 2, Sangco 2, Lepalam 2, Flores 1, Carlos 0, Mosqueda 0
LYCEUM 68 – Valdez 13, Umali 11, Remulla 10, Guadana 7, Barba 7, Larupay 6, Guinto 6, Cunanan 4, Navarro 2, Abadeza 2, Garro 0, Jabel 0, Bravo 0
Quarterscores: 20-20, 37-36, 54-50, 79-68
