College of Saint Benilde extended its winning streak to four following a 78-69 win over San Beda University in Season 98 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Miguel Oczon led the scoring parade with 19 points while Will Gozum and Miggy Corteza chipped in 16 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Blazers, who booked their first win over the Red Lions since 28 July 2014.
With the Blazers up, 71-66, with 52 seconds left, Oczon drilled a dagger three-pointer to seal their seventh win in eight matches.
Saint Benilde coach Charles Tiu said he is glad over the composure that they showed against San Beda, which is considered as one of the best basketball programs in the country.
“It’s nice to see their composure down the stretch. We need games like this to make us better,” Tiu said.
Meanwhile, JM Bravo took charge in overtime to lift Lyceum of the Philippines University to an 82-79 win over San Sebastian College in the first game.
Bravo fired seven of his 14 points in the extra period, including a crucial three-pointer that gave the Pirates a slim 80-79 lead in the final 58 seconds.
Mac Guadaña and Enoch Valdez then split their free throws to seal the victory for Lyceum, which holds a 6-2 win-loss record.
“It’s a good thing we experienced this kind of win early in the season because if we go into overtime in one of our crucial games, we will already be accustomed to it because we got the experience,” Lyceum coach Gilbert Malabanan, whose wards pushed the Stags to a 2-5 card, said.
