NO Allen Liwag, no problem.
St. Benilde kicked off NCAA Season 102 with a statement by taking down defending champion San Beda, 77-68 on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The backcourt duo of Matthew Jucom and Jhomel Ancheta steered the Blazers to victory, with the former dropping 18 points and the latter finishing with a team-high 19 points and four rebounds that helped tip the closely-contested bout to their favor in the endgame.
“That's kind of what we expect already from him,” said first-year head coach Paolo Layug. “He's our lead guard. We expect the composure from him to make the big plays and we trust him in the endgame. It's not too surprising for him to do that.”
Benilde bigs come up big
The green-and-white forwards also chipped in big-time in the absence of their two-time MVP, as Raffy Celis scored 11 markers, while Mowell Morales led the squad with 10 boards.
Newcomer Irele Galas delivered 12 points and six boards, as well, with most coming in the final frame, much to the delight of Layug.
“Some of the other guys didn't play so well, but I really felt Irele, he played well today," he said. "But I think we're very, very far from where we want to be. I don't think we played great. That's far from our best.”
Red Lions rookie Aldous Torculas made quite the rookie debut himself with 19 points and six rebounds in the losing effort, while Jimmy Reyes chimed in seven points, nine assists, and three steals.
Senior forward Jomel Puno, nursing a minor injury, was out for San Beda, as it conceded their first opener since Season 98.
The Scores:
ST. BENILDE 77 - Ancheta 19, Jucom 18, Galas 12, Celis 11, Morales 8, Torres 3, Arciaga 3, Cajucom 2, Sanchez 1, Moore 0, Podador 0, Daja 0, Go 0
SAN BEDA 68 - Torculas 19, RC Calimag 9, Reyes 7, Marcelo 7, Lina 5, Hawkins 5, Bonzalida 4, Uggadan 4, Songcuya 4, Etulle 2, Jalbuena 2, Sarigumba 0, Estacio 0, Richi Calimag 0
Quarters: 15-17, 40-39, 57-55, 77-68
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
