By Nikole Javier
College of St. Benilde looks to sustain its winning run and keep solid grip of the solo lead when it goes up against Perpetual in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Blazers and the Altas will kick off the double-header at 12 noon while the Lyceum Pirates and the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals tangle at 3 p.m.
Despite missing head coach Charles Tiu who was feeling unwell before the game, Miguel Oczon delivered a 20-point third-quarter outburst to help St. Benilde pull off a 100-94 win over San Sebastian last Sept. 16 to improve their record to 2-0.
The Blazers hope to sustain the momentum as they brace for a rematch against the Altas who knocked them out of the Final Four in the previous season.
“I have a lot of respect for Perpetual, they are a tough team. If you’re talking about depth, they have one of the deepest teams in the NCAA. For me, I’m sure they’re gonna be more motivated (after) coming off on loss. The work never stops. So for us, we’re just gonna put in the work again,” said Benilde assistant coach Paolo Layug.
Meanwhile, Kim Aurin’s 27-point finish went down the drain as Perpetual bowed to Arellano Chiefs, 61-59, also last Sept. 16.
Aurin tallied big numbers for the Altas built on five three-pointers, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Meanwhile, Lyceum will be banking on Mcclaude Guadana and Patrick Montano who joined forces for timely baskets to turn the tide and score an 89-81 win against San Beda.
“We’re gonna treat EAC na sila ‘yong 3-0. Kumbaga, tine-treat namin ‘yong mga kalaban namin na malalakas. Kasi ayokong mase-settle doon sa mga players ko na hindi na sila magwo-work hard,” said Pirates head coach Gilbert Malabanan as they look to hike their 2-1 slate.