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| Will Gozum won it for the Blazers. Dennis Acosta |
MANILA—College of St. Benilde did not go down without a fight in the NCAA men's basketball finals after getting one back against Letran, 76-71, in Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Blazers sizzled in the third quarter to gain control of the game, dropping 30 points which nearly matched their entire output in the first half to take a 64-59 lead against the Knights.
Letran, despite missing team captain Fran Yu the rest of the game after he was slapped with a disqualifying foul in the second quarter, became solid again in the fourth quarter, forcing a 71-all deadlock within the last two minutes.
However, Will Gozum won it for CSB with a go-ahead layup with 55 seconds left as the team ended the game with five straight points.
Gozum, who was formally named the season MVP before the game, played like one as he tallied 21 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, 10 rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and one steal for the Blazers, who sent the series to a deciding game next Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Miggy Corteza also played a superb outing, also finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds alongside four assists and one block.
Brent Paraiso led Letran with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block, while Louie Sangalang and Kurt Reyson each added 11 points with Sangalang also finishing with a double-double with 10 rebounds.
However, they might need to give extra effort in Game 3 as Yu is expected to sit out the rubber match due to the automatic one-game suspension that comes with his ejection.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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