De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde had several chances to deal Colegio de San Juan de Letran a second straight loss in their latest encounter on Friday the NCAA Season 98.
But the Blazers came up short in the endgame, 81-75, to be handed their first loss in four games.
Still, Benilde head coach Charles Tiu stressed that they take little comfort in moral victories, though he did credit his wards for putting up a good fight against the Knights.
"It's nice we had chances to win this game, we missed two wide open layups down the stretch that could have tied the game pero gano'n talaga, they outworked us, they played well, we turned the ball too much," Tiu said following a tough 81-75 loss.
"I don't really believe in moral victories because they don't count in the standings. But at least, we were able to compete against them."
Benilde was able to keep Letran at bay for most of the first half, which ended with the Knights enjoying a slim 50-46 lead.
But the Bonnie Tan-mentored team suddenly changed the pace of the game in the third, erecting a lead as high as 15 before Benilde trimmed that down to just two late in the game.
Benilde, though, could not get the job done as Letran veterans led the charge down the stretch.
"They're a good team, they showed why they're champions. We weren't complete but at least we gave them a good fight so we'll just have to bounce back."
—JMB, GMA News
