Blazers outgun, outrun Knights

MANILA, Philippines - St. Benilde pounded the floor relentlessly against undermanned Letran side, posting a runaway 77-60 victory yesterday in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

After getting hammered by the Knights in the early going, the Blazers got their rhythm going with an efficient running game, overcoming double-digit deficits in the first half to wrest control in the third before pulling away in the fourth quarter.

“I was totally out-coached by coach Louie in the first half that’s why I decided to go small in the second half for speed,” said St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario.

Joel Tolentino, a transferee from cross-street neighbor La Salle, hit three triples and finished with 17 points for the Blazers. He spiked his big offensive game with seven rebounds, three assists while providing the leadership for the young squad, which leveled its card at 2-2.

“We have a very young team so I tried as much as I can to play leader for them,” said the 21-year-old Tolentino.

With big men Robert Bartolo and Ryan Ongteco fouling out one after the other in the fourth quarter, the Blazers had to settle with only 6-2 Mark Romero and 6-1 Jonathan Grey manning the fort.

“We outrebounded them, 49-34, so I guess speed got the better of height this time,” said Del Rosario.

The Blazers also pounced on the absence of Letran’s big men Jam Cortes, who was suspended for one game, and the flu-stricken Raymond Almazan.

Kevin Racal paced the Muralla-based squad with 18 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line but the team missed 46 of its 64 shots.

Earlier, Energen Pilipinas standout Rey Nambatac stepped up big in the second half as Letran humbled last year’s runner-up St. Benilde, 77-71, to notch its first win in two starts in the juniors’ division.

Nambatac, an 18-year-old find from Cagayan de Oro City and member of the Energen Pilipinas team that swept the SEABA meet in Singapore last month, exploded for a game-high 37 points, including 27 in the second half.

In other high school result, Mapua overpowered EAC, 101-50, to improve to 2-1.

Josan Nimes provided the firepower while Kenneth Ighalo dominated the boards as Mapua rallied to beat Emilio Aguinaldo College, 67-63, in the nightcap.

Nimes fired 12 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter while Ighalo plucked 23 boards to tie the season high posted by San Sebastian’s Calvin Abueva as the Cardinals improved to 2-1.

The Generals fell to 1-3.