Jose Rizal University head coach Louie Gonzales attributed their 74-68 win against De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde on Tuesday to the character and grit displayed by his wards as they finally barged into the win column.
Gonzales, calm and collected all game long despite the chances of them sinking to a 0-6 hole, said that what they had been doing off-court has finally paid off as they improve to 1-5.
"This is really big for us, especially na nakita namin na kaya pala naming tumapos [ng game]," Gonzales said after the victory at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
JRU has been solid in the tournament but struggled to find the finishing kick at the end of games, falling to University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, San Beda University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Against the Blazers, though, the Heavy Bombers didn't waste any time to assert dominance behind guards JL Delos Santos and Jason Celis.
Delos Santos grabbed a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Celis, meanwhile, had 14 markers, four boards, two assists, and one steal.
But they also got some big shots from players like RJ Arenal and Marwin Dionisio, who scored a crucial basket with 38 seconds left on the clock to help seal the win.
"Sa past few games, ang talagang problema namin is finish, except for the last one where we really played bad pero today they showed grit, they showed character, and they showed they can finish every possession strong," Gonzales added
Gonzales added that they had to step up their discipline, especially with the full-on confidence that streaking CSB had been showing in their four-game winning run.
"Grabe rin 'yung confidence ng individual players ng Saint Benilde so for us to sustain, for us to compete against them, 'yung confidence nila kailangan palitan ko ng discipline and ng perseverance," the mentor said.
"Sabi ko sa kanila mag-tiyaga lang tayo."
—JMB, GMA News
