Blazers bank on Domingo, demote Generals

Games Thursday
(Filoil Flying V Centre)
10 a.m. – MU vs UPHSD (jrs)
12 p.m. – SSCR vs SBU (jrs)
2 p.m. – MU vs UPSD (srs)
4 p.m. – SSCR vs SBU (srs)

MANILA, Philippines – College of St. Benilde leaned on JJ Domingo’s season-best effort as it downed Emilio Aguinaldo College, 84-71, Tuesday to get back into the thick of things in the 94th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Domingo, who averaged 2.2 points entering the game, found his rhythm and sizzled with 22 points that easily surpassed his previous season-best 10 points and helped the Blazers end a two-game slide while booking a third win against four defeats.

“We were alive again and we hope this win gives us momentum entering our final two first round games,” said CSB coach TY Tang, whose wards clash with Arellano University on Friday and Perpetual Help on August 24.

And it was Domingo who delivered the critical points as the fourth-year guard poured in eight fourth-quarter points to quash EAC’s repeated fightbacks

“We know he (Domingo) can score and it’s just a matter of patience. I hope he counties to dish out this kind of games,” said Tang.

The Blazers, however, may miss Clement Leutcheu in their next game after the Cameroonian was ejected for being assessed two technical fouls, the last one for figuring in a shoving match with EAC’s Juju Bautista midway in the last canto.

The ejection meant automatic one-game suspension for Leutcheu.

The Generals found their two-game streak snapped as they skidded to 2-5 (win-loss).

The scores:

CSB 84 – Domingo 22, Haruna 11, Leutcheu 9, Gutang 9, Naboa 6, Dixon 6, Nayve 5, Begica 4, Pasturan 4, Young 3, Velasco 2, Barnes 2

EAC 71 – Bautista 17, Laminou 13, Tampoc 10, Garcia 9, Diego 5, Mendoza 5, Bugarin 5, Maguliano 4, Gonzales 2, Cadua 1, Natividad 0, Robin 0, Neri 0

Quarterscores: 18-20; 44-31; 61-49; 84-71