BENILDE lost a lead of 12 points in the final frame, but dug deep in the endgame to fend off fighting Emilio Aguinaldo College, 86-85, Sunday at the Playtime Cares Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Tony Ynot fired 17 points built on three triples to make sure the Blazers averted disaster, while also assuring themselves of a top two finish out of the NCAA Group in the Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOIl 18th Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive.
"Medyo nag-relax nung fourth quarter, we had a big lead the entire game. But when it mattered most, at least we got defensive stops," said head coach Charles Tiu, as they remain in the running for the top seed alongside idle Letran, which has the same 7-1 standing.
A Joshua Cajucom layup put Benilde up 81-69 with under eight minutes remaining before EJ Castillo fronted the Generals' rally that got as close as just one point down with 53 ticks to go.
From there, though, the Blazers regrouped on defense and forced a Jacob Shanoda turnover as well as a Nico Quinal missed trey to preserve their second straight win in the tourney which has PlayTime Cares, Filoil, EcoOil, Hanes, Bostik El Heneral, Jiang Nan Hotpot, Lamtex Pipes, Smart, and Puso Pilipinas as major sponsors, and Harbor Star, Wallem, Akari, BDO, Tela.com Athletics, Nature’s Spring, Reyes Barbecue, and Brothers Burger as minor sponsors.
Castillo wound up with 12 points, all but four coming in the final frame, as Art Cosa topped the scoring column with 16 markers. EAC (6-3) is now locked into the third seed, and will face off with either La Salle or University of Santo Tomas come the quarterfinals.
NU into Filoil quarterfinals
The UAAP Group Top 4, meanwhile, is now complete after National U dispatched Far Eastern University, 91-77.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Bulldogs put on their strongest showing on offense and wound up with a 52-percent clip from the field. Jolo Manansala did the most damage with 22 points on efficient 9-of-14 shooting, while also setting up his teammates with eight assists on top of three rebounds and two steals.
Gelo Santiago and PJ Palacielo also added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs who won three of their last four in the elimination round to clinch the fourth seed.
"Yung mga distractions nung sa simula, na-overcome na namin ngayon. Ang mahalaga sa'min ngayon, kung sino yung mga nandito," said head coach Jeff Napa, referring to several player departures early on in the tourney.
Conversely, the Tamaraws dropped three of their last four to exit with a 3-3 slate. Jorick Bautista showed the way for them with 23 points, as Mo Konateh posted a 19-marker, 16-rebound double-double.
The Scores:
First Game
BENILDE 86 - Ynot 17, Gonzaga 12, Torres 10, Cajucom 10, Daja 9, Celis 6, Umali 5, Ancheta 5, Gaspay 3, Cometa 3, Galas 3, Moore 3, Oli 0, Victoria 0, Jalalon 0
EAC 85 - Cosa 16, Castillo 12, Tolentino 10, Bagay 10, Angeles 8, Omandac 7, Jacob 7, Quinal 6, Loristo 4, Shanoda 2, Villarente 2, Doria 1, Oftana 0, Ochavo 0
Quarters: 23-15, 47-40, 74-62, 86-85
Second Game
NATIONAL U 91 - Manansala 22, Santiago 13, Palacielo 10, Dela Cruz 8, Solomon 8, Francisco 6, Jumamoy 6, Tulabut 4, Reyes 4, Enriquez 3, Alfanta 3, Padrones 2, Parks 2, Locsin 0
FEU 77 - Bautista 23, Konateh 19, Pasaol 13, Felipe 8, Salangsang 6, Montemayor 3, Ona 3, Bagunu 2, Jones 0, Macapagal 0, Nakai 0, Daa 0
Quarters: 21-23, 48-34, 71-57, 91-77
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