BENILDE SENDS MAPUA PACKING, ADVANCES TO FINAL FOUR
By: Miguel Caramoan
Strong Group-backed College of Saint Benilde needed just one win to avenge their Season 100 Finals defeat, and the Blazers made the most of their twice-to-beat advantage in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball quarterfinals.
Benilde officially sent defending champion Mapua University packing with a 74-72 victory on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, securing their fifth consecutive trip to the Final Four. The Blazers will now face the San Beda Red Lions in a best-of-three semifinal series starting December 2 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Raffy Celis set the tone early, finishing with 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Ian Torres added 12 points, including five crucial markers in the clutch, while Tony Ynot contributed 11 points, providing an all-around performance that highlighted Benilde’s balanced attack.
After falling behind early in their first quarterfinal encounter, Celis sparked the Blazers’ offense, giving them a 26-17 lead. The second quarter began as a defensive struggle, but Benilde broke out with back-to-back triples from Ynot to extend the lead to 38-26 at the 3:15 mark. The run would ultimately reach 11-0, allowing the Blazers to take a commanding 47-31 advantage at halftime over the Cardinals.
“The defending champs, and for a reason—they didn’t quit. But that’s why we wanted to challenge the guys to play our game. We played our game, though we were a bit rattled down the stretch. Still, we found ways to win,” said head coach Charles Tiu. “We just had enough of a lead to escape. When Mapua took the lead in the fourth, we didn’t panic.”
Mapua mounted a third-quarter comeback, converting nine field goals led by JC Recto and Cyrus Cuenco to trim the deficit to 60-53 after three quarters. The Cardinals then appeared to seize momentum with a 9-0 run that gave them a 63-62 lead with 5:51 left, but Benilde countered with a 7-0 spurt, highlighted by Torres’ midrange jumper and a three-pointer, regaining control at 69-63.
The Cardinals kept the contest close, with Cuenco and Recto connecting on timely triples, but Shawn Umali’s decisive three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left sealed the 74-72 win. Mapua failed to capitalize on the ensuing Blazers turnover, missing two free throws and a final shot attempt to confirm their exit from the Final Four.
The loss marks the first time Mapua has missed the semifinals since Clint Escamis’ return, with the star guard struggling in his final two NCAA outings, averaging only 2.5 points and failing to convert any of his 16 field goal attempts.
“We put our best defender on him, and I tip my hat to Raffy Celis, who guarded him for the most part. Raffy was our leading scorer today and one of the players I really challenged yesterday. He didn’t have focus leading into our first game; he wasn’t himself and played nervous. But today, he came up big. I think our guards did a great job defending Escamis. Clint was our number one priority,” Tiu added.
