Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) – Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers have finally entered the winning column of NCAA Season 97 after beating red-hot College of St. Benilde Blazers, 74-68, in the lone game Tuesday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
With the victory, the Louie Gonzalez-mentored Heavy Bombers got the monkey off its back after starting the tournament with five straight losses.
The Kalentong-based dribblers drew a solid game from JL Delos Santos, who had a double-double outing of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Jason Celis also played a big role in his team’s win after scoring 17 points in the contest.
As early as the first quarter, JRU already held the advantage with a solid team effort that worked wonders in fending off any challenge posed by CSB.
The Blazers made adjustments in the third canto to somehow take the lead from the Heavy Bombers, despite losing key player Will Gozum to an apparent right foot injury midway in the quarter.
JRU took advantage of Gozum’s exit and leaned on Delos Santos and Celis for offense en route to the big win.
CSB was close to turning the game in their favor after big man AJ Benson completed two free throws under the last two minutes with just three points separating the teams, 68-71.
Heavy Bombers cager Marwin Dionisio converted a putback off a feed in the paint for a two-possession lead with just 38 ticks left in the game.
The Charles Tiu-coached Blazers committed two crucial turnovers down the stretch as they saw the end of their four-game winning streak and fell to a 4-2 record.
“This is really big for us. We showed that we are capable to finish a close game. That has been our problem in our previous games, except in our last game. They showed grit, character, and they can finish every possession strong,” Gonzalez said in the post-game interview.
Gozum led CSB with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks while Benson added 13 markers and four boards.
JRU looks to create a winning streak at the expense of San Sebastian College on April 19 at 3 p.m. while CSB hopes to bounce back against Mapa University on the same day.
The scores:
JRU 74 – Delos Santos 19, Celis 17, Dionisio 9, Agbong 7, Bongay 7, Jungco 6, Arenal 5, Macatangay 4, Estrella 0, G. Gonzales 0.
CSB 68 – Gozum 17, Benson 13, Nayve 12, Corteza 10, Carlos 10, Marcos 3, Lepalam 2, Flores 1, Cullar 0, Sangco 0, Lim 0, Publico 0, Davis 0.
Quarterscores: 17-14, 33-30, 49-50, 74-68
