MANILA — De La Salle-College of St. Benilde narrowly avoided a collapse in their overtime clash against San Sebastian College-Recoletos, securing a 96-94 win on Tuesday at the San Juan Arena in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.
Tony Ynot and Jhomel Ancheta came through in the clutch, with Ynot scoring five of his 23 points in the extra period, along with eight rebounds, eight assists, and a steal, although he committed six turnovers. Ancheta contributed just two points, but his game-winning shot ensured the victory for Benilde.
Allen Liwag added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Justine Sanchez contributed eight points and 10 boards to help the Blazers.
Despite the win, Benilde head coach Charles Tiu expressed frustration with his team’s performance, particularly the 31 turnovers that allowed their 67-41 lead to evaporate.
“This might be the worst win of my career. I’m very upset. We were a joke out there. We handed them the ball with 31 turnovers. It’s embarrassing,” Tiu said in the postgame interview.
Tiu downplayed Ancheta’s game-winner, saying, “All my point guards were making mistakes with multiple turnovers. I gave him a chance, and he happened to hit the shot, but it was pure luck. This isn’t the standard we want.”
San Sebastian’s Raymart Escobido, who missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer, had a career-high 29 points, alongside four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block. However, his efforts were in vain as San Sebastian suffered its sixth consecutive loss after starting the season with two straight wins.