Blazers set Altas on fire; Bombers strafe Dolphins

St. Benilde leaned on the endgame heroics of rookie Juan Luis Eliseo Abad as it downed Perpetual Help, 69-60, yesterday to remain in Final- Four contention in the 79th NCAA basketball tournament at the Makati Coliseum.

Ron Capati sizzled with 22 points, including six rim-rattling slams but it was the lightning quick Abad who delivered the crushing blows in the stretch that sealed the Blazers’ third win against seven losses.

"This definitely helps," said St. Benilde coach Tonnichi Yturri, who is seeking to sweep their remaining four games against teams currently occupying the top half of the standing to make the semis cut.

Dom Javier led the Altas with 18 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter, but lost steam in the stretch as they fell to their seventh loss in 10 outings.

Al Magpayo’s triple late in the third quarter gave St. Benilde its biggest lead of the game, 57-41.

But Javier lit a 10-0 blitz early in the final period to reduce the gap to six, 51-57, before Abad entered the fray to score six markers in a telling 12-9 wind-up.

Perpetual Help started it out hot to seize a 22-20 edge after the opening period but Capati was hotter as he exploded with 18 first half points that helped St. Benilde seize a 39-30 advantage at the break.

Jose Rizal rode on Marco Fajardo‘s season-high 35-point effort as it smashed Philippine Christian University, 88-79, to move up to solo fourth with a 6-4 slate.

It was the Dolphins’ seventh loss against three triumphs.