The College of Saint Benilde Blazers moved closer to sealing a Final Four seat in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament after a 78-68 beating of the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Goldrn Stags on Sunday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre in San Juan City.
Will Gozum finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Miguel Oczon recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers.
Robi Nayve had an all-around performance of 13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, and backup center Michael Mara ended with 12 points and eight rebounds for CSB.
With the victory, the Blazers improved to a 10-5 win-loss slate, securing a two-game advantage over the San Beda University Red Lions for the third spot in the standings.
“Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the Final Four if we’re fortunate enough to make it there,” Blazers head coach Charles Tiu said in a post-game interview.
The Blazers were ahead at 21-12 after the opening quarter, but the Golden Stags rallied back and kept the match close as they just trailed 56-58 early in the fourth quarter.
CSB then unloaded a 12-2 scoring run as they pulled away to a 70-58 advantage courtesy of two free throws from Prince Carlos with two minutes remaining.
“I was a bit worried when they scored in the fourth, and we were only up by four. However, the guys stepped up and made some big shots. This is a learning experience for us, a chance to improve,” Tiu said.
Romel Calahat finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Alex Desoyo contributed 11 points as the Golden Stags dropped to 5-10, endangering their Final Four hopes.
The post CSB Blazers move closer to NCAA Final Four slot first appeared on Fastbreak.
0 comments: