Tony Ynot made up for lost time, fueling De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's late surge against Emilio Aguinaldo College, 69-65, as the Blazers inched closer to a Final Four spot of NCAA Season 100 on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Ynot, who missed the last three games for Benilde, notched six of their last 10 points to finish with 14 points together with four rebounds, four assists, and one steal as the Blazers shrugged off a lethargic start to stretch their winning streak to five and improve to 11-2.
The Generals, on the other hand, failed to keep hold of their early lead to fall to a 6-7 card, tying Lyceum of the Philippines University at the fifth spot.
Benilde had to endure a slow start before getting its bearings going, trailing by as much as 12 points after the Generals held them to just 13 points in the opening quarter.
The Blazers then slowly regrouped and forced a 59-all deadlock midway through the fourth off an Anton Eusebio three-pointer to answer four straight freebies from Harvey Pagsanjan.
However, Ynot flaunted his offensive prowess, first burying a triple from the left wing before Allen Liwag punished his former team with a three-point play, pushing Benilde to a 65-62 cushion with 2:04 left.
Ynot then completed a layup, but Nico Quinal, who caught fire in the payoff period, knocked down another trey to trim the deficit back to two in the final 1:28.
A Liwag turnover gave EAC another possession, but Wilmar Oftana, who was saddled with fouls early on, missed an open three that forced them to foul Ynot.
Ynot split his charities, allowing the Generals to manufacture a potential game-tying basket but Quinal turned the ball over as Gab Cometa sealed it with a split from the line.
Liwag shone with 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal while Ian Torres chipped in nine markers and two boards as the Blazers got closer to a third straight Final Four appearance.
Pagsanjan top-scored EAC in the loss, churning out 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Quinal and King Gurtiza chimed in with 12 and 10 markers apiece.
Scores:
Benilde 69 – Liwag 15, Ynot 14, Torres 9, Cometa 7, Eusebio 6, Sangco 5, Ondoa 4, Sanchez 3, Oli 3, Cajucom 3, Morales 0, Ancheta 0, Turco 0, Serrano 0.
EAC 65 – Pagsanjan 16, Quinal 12, Gurtiza 10, Lucero 5, Doromal 5, Loristo 4, Bacud 4, Ochavo 3, Oftana 3, Bagay 3, Angeles 0, Luciano 0, Ednilag 0, Umpad 0.
Quarters: 13-20, 34-34, 49-44, 69-65
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
