When the Benilde Blazers were in need of some spark against the Mapua Cardinals, the Taft crew turned to Tony Ynot and other transferees.
The 6-foot-1 guard promptly delivered, providing the energy in the final moments against Mapua University en route to a 78-65 win to kick off their NCAA Season 100 bid on Saturday.
Ynot poured in an all-around effort with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals to help Benilde overcome Mapua in a game where the Blazers trailed for the most part.
"He’s obviously one of our leaders together with these guys (Allem Liwag and Gab Cometa). I trust him a lot, he’s had a lot of experience so at the end of the game, you want your best players to make the decision for you," head coach Charles Tiu said.
"He gave us the energy we needed and we found a way to win."
With Ynot getting his groove late, the rest of the team followed.
Liwag poured in seven of his 23-point outing in the final minutes to power an 18-2 closing blitz while Cometa came alive in the third, putting together seven markers including a three-pointer that forced a 53-all deadlock.
The big man also added 18 rebounds to his monster performance that marked his NCAA comeback while Cometa finished with 17 markers, four boards, and two dimes.
"It was a good grind out win, we didn’t play our best pero maganda na maaga pa lang nasubukan na kami. You’ll see that we win by 13 but it didn’t feel that way," Tiu said.
"We were down for pretty much the whole game, but mabuti na lang, I give credit to the players, they found a way to win."
But even after Ynot's all-around showing, Tiu admitted he remains surprised by how good his new guard actually is despite already having to go up against him in the past.
"I think he even got better. To be honest, I didn’t know he was this good. Actually sa San Beda that time, sila Kwekuteye, si Bahio ‘yung medyo fino-focus namin at the time," Tiu shared.
"But I didn’t know he was this good. It’s a big revelation, he’s really good. I’m just thankful na he decided to come to play for us."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
