College of St. Benilde averted a fourth quarter meltdown to escape the late-game scare brought by Lyceum, 100-88, in the second round of the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament Friday, Nov. 18, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Blazers are now tied with defending champions Letran Knights with identical 12-4 records as five of their players registered double-digits for a very solid offensive production.
The victory also spelled crucial moments for both CSB and Letran as they got in the mix for the twice-to-beat advantage as only the top two squads would be granted sans an elimination sweep.
Will Gozum posted another double-double performance of 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists while Migs Oczon contributed 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Miggy Corteza came off the bench and delivered 13 points, and three rebounds, JC Cullar chalked up 11 points and four assists, and Ladis Lepalam had 10 points along with seven rebounds.
The Pirates came alive in the payoff period, cutting a huge 24-point deficit down to 10 after a three-pointer by JM Bravo heading into the last two minutes, 95-85.
Mclaude Guadana, who served as Lyceum's late anchor and finished with 10 points, continued to pump life for his squad after a split free throw before Enoch Valdez secured the offensive rebound and converted the basket to make it a seven-point affair, 95-88.
But that proved to be it for the Pirates' comeback attempt as Oczon drained four straight free throws en route to another 10-point lead, 98-88, as Shawn Umali and Guadana both missed their layup and three-pointer, respectively, in between that sequence.
The Blazers' breached the hundredth mark after Gozum found Mark Sangco cutting inside the lane in the waning seconds to ice the game, holding off the Pirates to third place still with a 12-6 slate.
Valdez, for the third straight time, led Lyceum with 18 points and five rebounds, Umali scored 17 points on top of four rebounds, while Bravo registered 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Earlier, San Sebastian survived Perpetual with a slim 78-74 victory.
Itchie Altamirano led the Stags (7-9) with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while Raymart Escobido chipped in 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists as well.
Jeff Egan paced the Altas (7-11) with 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists while Carlo Ferreras has 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
The Scores:
CSB 100 -- Oczon 18, Gozum 18, Corteza 13, Cullar 11, Lepalam 10, Nayve 8, Marcos 7, Sangco 7, Carlos 5, Davis 2, Flores 1, Pasturan 0, Cajucom 0, Sumabat 0, Dimayuga 0.
LPU 88 -- Valdez 18, Umali 17, Bravo 15, Guadana 10, Montano 9, Cunanan 8, Navarro 5, Barba 5, Culanay 3, Larupay 0, Penafiel 0, Vinoya 0.
Quarters: 28-21, 49-40, 79-58, 100-88.