COLLEGE of St. Benilde coach Charles Tiu denied do-it-all playmaker Tony Ynot will be out for the rest of the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.
Tiu made the clarification amidst talks on social media the 5-foot-11 former San Beda stalwart is going to be grounded for at least two months following the ankle injury he suffered at the end of the first round last Tuesday.
“No. Who said it?,” said Tiu when asked to confirm allegations regarding the health situation of Ynot. “Wala pa. Injured pa.”
The Benilde coach is keeping his fingers crossed the guard will be able to join the Blazers by the middle of the second round.
Ynot incidentally, was at the gallery of San Juan's Filoil EcoOil Centre on Sunday and watched Benilde defeat skidding San Sebastian, 91-85.
Modern big Allen Liwag was again a solid presence in the middle for the Blazers, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in the win that hiked their league-leading record to 8-2.
Benilde rookies step up
But guards Ian Torre and Matthew Oli stepped up in Ynot's absence with 13 and 12 respectively, for the green-and-white, which needed an overtime period to nip the Golden Stags, 96-94, in their first round meeting.
“Just want to give the other guys the chance since Tony is not playing,” said Tiu of his two rookies.
Guard Paeng Are ignored a busted lip to score a game-high 29 points in a losing cause for San Sebastian, which lost for the eighth straight game following back-to-back wins to start the season.
The 6-foot Are, who added seven rebounds, was left with a bloodied left following an elbow courtesy of Mark Sangco midway in the third quarter and Benilde leading, 58-54.
Blood was spilled on the sidelines, as Are was down on the floor. Sangco was later called for an unsportsmanlike foul.
The scores:
BENILDE 91 - Liwag 18, Torres 13, Oli 12, Sanchez 9, Ancheta 9, Jarque 9, Cometa 6, Sangco 5, Ondoa 5, Cajucom 3, Morales 2, Eusebio 0, Arciaga 0, Galas 0.
SAN SEBASTIAN 85 - Are 29, L. Gabat 21, Felebrico 12, Aguilar 6, R. Gabat 6, Suico 5, Ricio 4, Escobido 2, Pascual 0, Barroga 0.
Quarters: 23-21; 42-38; 68-65; 91-85.
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