College of Saint Benilde clobbered Lyceum of the Philippine University, 93-83, for the first-ever bronze medal match in the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.
The Blazers got a bit of consolation after getting knocked out by Mapua University in the Final Four.
Robi Nayve’s triple with five minutes and 33 seconds left in the third quarter capped Saint Benilde’s 20-7 run that turned a slim 43-41 lead into a 63-48 advantage, the biggest lead of the game.
Migs Oczon did not play in yesterday’s game for Saint Benilde as he is bound to play at the Korean Basketball League squad Ulsan Hyundai Mobus Phoebus.
Blazers head coach Charles Tiu said more than just ending the season with a victory, getting it at the expense of the Pirates was an added motivation for the team heading into this match.
Saint Benilde dropped its first-round match with Lyceum, 81-85 last 24 September before suffering another heartbreaking loss, 81-84, last 10 November.
“In the first two matches we played against them, we were good in the first half but we kept collapsing in the end. We just made sure to limit our mistakes and not let them run,” Tiu said.
“It’s still nice to get third place. It’s still a podium finish. I wanted to win a championship so it still hurts me but we’ll take it.”
