Benilde off to blazing run, trips Arellano

Games Thursday

4 p.m. – Perpetual Help vs Letran

6 p.m. – Jose Rizal vs Lyceum

MANILA, Philippines - From blowing leads at endgame in their first five matches, St. Benilde now seemed to know how to keep them.

The Blazers continued to display grace under pressure and trounced the Arellano U Chiefs, 69-62, to post their second straight victory in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City yesterday.

Mark Romero fired 18 points, including a triple in the stretch, that helped the Blazers fend off the Chiefs’ fightback and notch their second win after their 75-69 victory over the Lyceum Pirates last July 25.

With a 2-5 mark, St. Benilde moved from ninth to joint sixth with Arellano U, Lyceum and Emilio Aguinaldo.

In the nightcap, San Beda blasted a hapless San Sebastian side, 83-64, to nail its sixth straight win and seventh overall in eight outings as it stayed within striking distance of unbeaten Letran, which swept the first round elims.

Arthur dela Cruz shot 17 points, hauled down nine rebounds. dished off six assists and made four steals as he led the Lions’ romp over the Stags, for their fifth double-digit romp in their last six games.

“Our game plan is to really go hard early especially on the defensive end and credit to the boys, we executed our game plan to near-perfection,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.

The Stags dropped to 4-4.

Before posting the back-to-back victories, the Taft-based squad bungled what had appeared to be won games against reigning three-peat champion San Beda, EAC, Jose Rizal, Letran and San Sebastian, which they lost by an average margin of 1.4 points.

“We’re happy to get the back-to-back wins and after five straight losses,” said St. Benilde coach Gabby Velasco.

Their latest win, according to Velasco, was for the school’s athletic moderator Santiago Alvarez, who passed away last Aug. 2.

California native Jose Alfonso Saavedra, Juan Taha and Jonathan Grey provided Romero the needed backup by adding 12 points apiece.

 Adam Jacob Serjue after spending last season and the team’s first six games nursing a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) he sustained in a pre-season of 2012.