De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde head coach Charles Tiu said it was his fault that their game against Lyceum of the Philippines University nearly went south as the Pirates staged a fightback late.
After trailing by as much as 24, Lyceum pulled to within seven, 95-88, after an Enoch Valdez putback with 1:01 left in the clock. But luckily, the Blazers held on as Migs Oczon and Mark Sangco knocked down four freebies to seal the hard-fought win.
But Tiu said they could have had a stronger finish had he not fielded the second stringers in the early part of the payoff period.
"I was actually happy for the most part with the way we played until the last five minutes of the fourth, it was probably my fault that I tried to let some guys play maybe a little bit too early," Tiu said.
"If we lost, I'd probably fire myself but I'm just a bit disappointed how the game ended. I want to give guys a chance to give them an opportunity to play some minutes, but it was not a good ending for us."
Still, Tiu said it was a big win for Benilde, especially that they could potentially meet Lyceum anew in the Final Four as they sit at second and third spots, respectively.
"It's a big win for us, they're a good team. They're very fast-paced so it was not an easy game," he said.
"But I'm happy we still pulled away with the win. We'll take the win now."
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
