De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde survived a clash of short-handed teams, pulling off a 95-80 win against Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the NCAA Season 101 on Wednesday.
Justine Sanchez issued the dagger three-pointer as the Blazers cruised to their second win in a row despite missing reigning MVP Allen Liwag, Gab Cometa, and Joshua Cajucom, who were all under the weather according to head coach Charles Tiu.
The Knights kept refusing to go down without a fight as Deo Cuajao sank three straight free throws that pulled Letran to within five, 77-82, in the final 2:08 of the fourth.
Letran could have further trimmed it to three, but a putback basket by Kevin Santos was deemed illegal after an offensive foul against Sanchez.
That's when Sanchez sealed the deal, knocking down a pair of free throws before burying a corner triple off the pass from big man Shawn Umali.
His putback basket also sent Benilde to a 91-80 cushion as Letran faded to surrender its third straight game.
Sanchez, who had been stellar offensively in the past two games, tallied 23 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Matthew Oli stepped up with 20 markers, three boards, and one dime.
"Well, we were up seven and made some not so smart plays and made turnovers, but at least we were able to make some stops when it mattered," Tiu said.
"I think that was the difference in the game. Credit to the guys, half of the team's sick. We were missing a lot of key players, but it's a good win. It's one of our better games this season."
The loss sent the struggling Knights to a 0-3 card in Group B as they played through the absence of key players Jimboy Estrada, Jun Roque, and Jovel Baliling.
Titing Manalili had his best game in the seniors level, flirting with a triple-double of 23 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists while Chad Gammad and Cuajao chipped in 18 and 15 markers apiece.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
