CSB Blazers vs AU Chiefs

The College of St. Benilde Blazers snapped a two-game losing skid, surviving a fourth quarter storm by Arellano University Chiefs to pull off a thrilling 66-64 win to stay alive in the Final Four hunt in the NCAA Season 87 men’s basketball at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Anton Altamirano, the son of UAAP’s National University coach Eric, delivered the goods when it mattered most to propel the Blazers to their fifth win against seven losses to move one game behind fourth running Mapua Cardinals (6-6).

Altamirano made two charity splits in the final 16 seconds of the game that proved to be enough cushion for the Blazers to survive despite squandering a 14-point lead.

The Blazers appeared headed to an easy win when Jonathan Grey stuffed the ball over Chiefs’ Kims Pagayunan for a commanding 14-point lead, 59-45, halfway through the payoff period.

The Blazers kept that distance, 62-48, in the final four minutes until Vergel Zulueta ignited a 10-0 run by the Chiefs to pull within four, 62-58, with only 1:45 left in the game.

Mark Romero nailed two free throws to extend the lead to six before Zulueta came through with a clutch triple to trim the deficit further, 64-61.

In the ensuing play, Altamirano hit one of two free throws to give the Blazers a four-point cushion, 65-61, 15.9 ticks left but Zulueta drained another clutch three-pointer to threaten for the last time, 65-64, in the last 11.3 seconds.

Altamirano hit another split for the final count as the Blazers watched Zulueta missed a potential game-winning trey and Adrian Celada flubbed his follow-up to escape with the victory.

The Chiefs, who drew 19 points from Zulueta, went down with their ninth defeat in 13 games dimming their chances of advancing to the next round.

The Blazers, meanwhile, got 12 points from Paolo Taha and 10 apiece from Grey and Altamirano that more than made up for their top gunner Carlo Lastimosa’s paltry three points. - Alder Almo