The trio of Will Gozum, Miguel Corteza, and Robi Nayve powered College of St. Benilde to cruise past Perpetual with an 81-64 drubbing in the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Blazers pulled away for good after a huge third quarter blowout, unleashing a commanding 32-10 run en route to their third straight win.
Gozum posted a double-double performance of 16 points and 12 rebounds, Corteza hammered down 15 points, and seven rebounds while Nayve chipped in 12 points as the Blazers took firm grip ofthe top spot in the leaderboard.
St. Benilde also played unselfish basketball and dished out a total of 23 assists, paving the way for the triumvirate to score in double-digits.
"We tried to just make some adjustments at the half, take a look at what could work for us," said Blazers head coach Charles Tiu, returning from his absence after feeling under the weather in CSB's 100-94 win against San Sebastian last Sept. 16.
"I'm thankful that the players eventually made their shots so I give them the credit and they played much better in the third quarter."
Gozum and Nayve scored seven points apiece in the Blazers' 32-point explosion in the third quarter which pretty much sealed the deal for last season's playoff contender squad.
As early as the second quarter, which saw a close 33-32 half-time duel, Gozum, a former NCAA Juniors Most Valuable Player, already did much damage on both ends after scoring six points and grabbing nine rebounds while Corteza had 11 points and five rebounds at that point.
Rey Barcuma paced the Altas with 14 points while Kim Aurin and Marcus Nitura had 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Scores:
CSB 81 -- Gozum 16, Corteza 15, Nayve 12, Marcos 7, Flores 7, Oczon 6, Pasturan 6, Cullar 2, Sangco 2, Dimayuga 2, Cajucom 2, Davis 2, Mara 2, Carlos 0, Lepalam 0.
PERPETUAL 64 -- Barcuma 14, Aurin 13, Nitura 12, Flores 8, Abis 6, Omega 4, Martel 3, Egan 2, Razon 2, Ferreras 0, Cuevas 0, Roque 0.
Quarters: 13-17, 33-32, 65-42, 81-64.