St. Benilde ends slump at the expense of EAC in OT
By Maxine Louise Lagman
12 October 2017
The College of St. Benilde fought well to claim an overtime 98-84 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College in the NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Snapping their four-game losing skid, the Blazers climbed to a 4-13 slate and lifted to eight place. On the other hand, the Generals dropped to a 6-11 card after losing for the sixth consecutive.
Despite being out of the league’s Final Four bid, Benilde coach TY Tang said they are still playing on their full potential to improve themselves in each game.
“As athletes, every single game dapat kami mag-improve para madagdag ng repertoire sa game namin,” said Tang. “It’s about improving ourselves individually and playing together, because after this season, it’s still a team next year.”
The Generals have been set to win the game with a 73-68 lead in the playoff period in the final 2:14.
However, the Blazers made a late run with the leadership of rookie Unique Naboa and Senegalese Clement Leutcheu.
With 23.6 ticks left, Naboa put St. Benilde up by three 78-75, but Sidney Onwubere answered back with their own triple. Dino San Juan could have capped off victory, but his attempt missed the basket that led for an overtime period.
Determined to win the game, the Blazers wasted no time and made a 14-3 run to grab a comfortable 92-81 cushion in the last 1:22 minutes in the game.
Leutcheu topped the Blazers with a double-double 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Edward Dixon added 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
Naboa chipped im 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
On the other hand, Juju Bautista led the Generals with 17 points, 14 rebound and four assists, while Francis Munsayac chipped in 16 markers, four assists and three boards.
Onwubere added another double-double record of 15 points and 15 rebounds.
The Scores:
ST. BENILDE 94 – Leutcheu 24, Dixon 19, Naboa 13, Domingo 10, San Juan 7, Suarez 6, Castro 4, Johnson 4, Sta. Maria 3, Belgica 2, Young 1, Velasco 1, Bunyi 0, Pili 0.
EAC 84 – Bautista 17, Munsayac 16, Onwubere 15, Garcia 14, Bugarin 8, Diego 7, I. Mendoza 2, J. Mendoza 2, Tampoc 2, Pascua, Corilla 0, Neri 0.
Quarterscores: 14-10, 30-36, 55-55, 78-78, 94-84.
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