College of St. Benilde kept Emilio Aguinaldo College winless after eking out a 73-61 triumph in the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Blazers held ground in the fourth quarter to keep the Generals at bay behind the solid efforts of JC Cullar, Miguel Corteza, and Ray Carlos.
Miguel Oczon, however, led St. Benilde with 14 points along with five rebounds and three assists, while Corteza chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds.
Will Gozum was a force to reckon with in the paint after tallying 11 points and 13 rebounds while Carlos and Cullar ended up with nine and eight points each.
"It's hard to say that we're not satisfied because a win is a win. We're grateful for any win we can take," said Blazers head coach Charles Tiu. "But yes, I still think we can do better. Hopefully, we can make more shots.
"But of course, every game naman we strive to improve whether we win or lose so hopefully we can still get better," he added.
The match saw a nip-and-tuck affair until midway through the payoff period when Cullar and Corteza connived up to the last minute en route to a comfortable 68-59 cushion for CSB.
Both squads actually went scoreless beginning from the 3:31 mark before the Blazers made their move to secure the victory.
It was only until 15 seconds left in the end game when Ralph Bajon ended the dry spell for EAC with a late conversion, the General's first point since trailing 63-59 earlier.
With little time left, the lead was too much to overcome for the Generals as Oczon, splitting his free throws first in the ensuing play, put the nail in the coffin with a putback basket of his own for the win as the Blazers improved to a 5-1 record.
Ralph Robin and Allen Liwag paced the Generals, who remained winless in five straight games, with 15 points apiece and combined for 18 rebounds.
The Scores:
CSB 73 -- Oczon 14, Corteza 12, Gozum 11, Carlos 9, Cullar 8, Pasturan 7, Nayve 6, Sangco 2, Marcos 2, Lepalam 2, Sumabat 0, Davis 0.
EAC 61 -- Liwag 15, Robin 15, Maguliano 10, Cosa 4, Bajon 4, Tolentino 3, An. Doria 3, Umpad 3, Luciano 2, Cosejo 2, Balowa 0, Quinal 0, Dominguez 0.
Quarters: 24-13, 43-39, 57-52, 73-61.