De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde banked on to its endgame poise to frustrate Arellano University, 83-73, in the NCAA Season 98 on Sunday.
Robi Nayve scored 17 points to lead the Blazers while Miggy Corteza chipped in with 15 markers on 6-for-7 shooting from the field.
Mark Sangco also contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Final Four-bound Benilde has now won three straight games to improve to 13-4 while Arellano fell to 7-10.
Arellano extended its 46-45 halftime lead to a 57-53 cushion after back-to-back triples from Travis Mantua and Cade Flores halfway through the third.
But Nayve, who dropped 12 points at the half, capped a Benilde fightback with a personal 5-0 run to give the Blazers a 64-59 advantage before heading to the fourth.
A triple from Mantua brought Arellano within one, 70-69, but a late 13-0 rampage from the Blazers in the final four minutes put the game away.
The run, led by Corteza and Will Gozum, saw the Taft crew enjoy a much-needed 83-69 cushion with two minutes left in the game clock.
Axel Doromal tried to pump life back to the Chiefs, but his two straight baskets for a 83-73 deficit wasn’t enough as Benilde completed the win.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
