Blazers keep Altas winless in NCAA Season 86

College of Saint Benilde (CSB) ended its two-game slide and sent Perpetual Help to its 14th straight loss in the 86th NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Blazers, behind the triumvirate of rookie Carlo Lastimosa, Tim McCoy and Mark De Guzman, dealt the Altas a 70-64 loss on Friday at The Arena in San Juan City.

Lastimosa, the league's leading scorer with an average of 17.5 points, overcame poor 4-of-13 shooting to lead CSB to its fifth win in 15 games. He finished with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes of action, while De Guzman added 13 markers and six boards. But it was McCoy who came out with a solid performance, registering 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. He scored seven points in the third period to help the Taft-based dribblers post a 55-46 spread. De Guzman drained a triple as the Blazers took a 59-49 lead early in the fourth, but the Altas, eager to win their first game of the season, moved within four points on a Mark Sumera basket with four minutes left. But De Guzman kept St. Benilde out of harm's way by firing from three-point region for a 64-57 lead with 3:43 to go, enough to add more damage to the Altas' frustrating campaign. De Guzman was the lone Blazer to hit a three-point shot. He went 3-of-6 from downtown, while his teammates failed to make any of 16 attempts. Jet Vidal led the Las Piñas-based cagers in a losing cause with 20 points off 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. He had 11 second-quarter points as Perpetual claimed a slim 35-32 halftime lead. The Altas suffered their 23rd consecutive loss, dating back to the start of last year's second round. Actually, the team has lost 44 of 49 games since the 2008 season. – JVP/KY, GMANews.TV