THE College of St. Benilde Blazers notched their second consecutive victory after cruising past the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, 87-62, in the ongoing Cebu City Inter-Collegiate Invitational basketball tournament at the Cebu City Sports Institute Gym in Sawang Calero on Friday morning, Aug. 22, 2025.
Coach Charles Tiu’s squad displayed a well-balanced offensive, with 12 of the 14 Blazers he fielded contributing in the scoring department.
Justine Sanchez tallied 16 points, while Jio Gonzaga added 14 to lead St. Benilde.
The Jaguars, on the other hand, suffered their second loss in a row despite the 13-point performances of Shawn Keizer Grava and Fritz John Gonzales. They also fell to the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors on opening day, Wednesday, Aug. 20.
On Thursday night, the St. Benilde Blazers pulled off a surprise upset over the highly-touted Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 69-62.
Allen Liwag led the Blazers with 13 points and three rebounds in their earlier win.
Ian Torres also had an impressive showing, contributing 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists — enough to earn him the Best Player of the Game honors.
After holding a narrow 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Blazers exploded with a 12-6 run early in the second quarter to stretch the advantage to 29-21 before ending the first half at 38-23.
That cushion set the tone for St. Benilde’s smooth path to victory. Adamson made a late-game push, but it was only enough to reduce the Blazers’ comfortable lead.
On the same night, the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) Altas also had an easy time against the USC Warriors.
John Aves and Josh Alcantara combined for 24 points for the Altas, who built their largest lead at 26 points, 71-47.
Despite trailing 10-24 in the first quarter, the Warriors managed to cut the lead to 34-39, but couldn’t sustain the momentum as visiting Altas pulled away to secure their first win.
Kyle Maglinte was the only Warrior to score in double figures, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds.
Sharpshooter James Gica was held to just nine points, including a single three-pointer.
With the loss, the Warriors now hold a 1-1 record. / JBM