In a game where the stakes were high, Colegio de San Juan de Letran showed its championship poise in a 74-66 stunner over league-leading De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 98 on Saturday
Louie Sangalang stepped up in the big game with 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks while Kurt Reyson added 14 markers for the Knights, who won an eighth consecutive game.
Sangalang and Reyson scored nine points apiece in the fourth quarter, where the Knights outscored the Blazers, 24-15, to clinch the victory.
With the win, Letran improved to 11-3 to claim the top spot in the standings as Benilde dropped down to 9-3.
Benilde's Miggy Corteza, who only had three points at the half, poured in six points to open the fourth and give the Blazers a slim 57-56 advantage.
A JC Cullar spin move against the defense of Fran Yu helped them make it a 63-60 lead before Reyson brought Letran back to within one with a layup of his own.
Reyson then fired an and-one triple before Sangalang completed a three-point play opportunity to turn the game around and give Letran a 68-63 spread with 28.7 ticks left.
Reyson knocked down four straight free throws to formally give Letran its 11th win and most importantly, the top spot.
What was expected to be a close game lived up to the hype with both Letran and Benilde leaving everything on the floor in the first two quarters as the Knights led the Blazers, 41-36.
That hotly-contested first half saw two star big men pace their respective teams with Sangalang dropping 10 points early against eight for Benilde's Will Gozum.
But the former got enough help from the likes of Reyson, Rafael Go, and King Caralipio to steady the ship at the break.
Cullar then found his shot in the third, where he unleashed eight points, highlighted by two triples, to help the Taft crew hold a 51-50 lead at the end of the frame.
Corteza finished with 14 points to lead the Blazers while Gozum tallied a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The scores:
Letran 74 - Sangalang 21, Reyson 14, Go 9, Javillonar 8, Paraiso 7, Yu 5, Caralipio 4, Monje 2, Tolentino 2, Olivario 2, Santos 0.
Benilde 66 - Corteza 14, Gozum 12, Pasturan 11, Cullar 10, Nayve 8, Oczon 4, Lepalam 3, Carlos 2, Sangco 2, Marcos 0, Dimayuga 0, Flores 0, Sumabat 0.
Quarters: 20-19, 41-36, 50-51, 74-66.
—JMB, GMA News
