By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers booked a spot in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball Final 4 after edging the Mapua University Cardinals, 74-72, in their do-or-die quarterfinal match at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City.

The Blazers advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight season and will face the San Beda University Red Lions in a best-of-three series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum starting Tuesday, December 2.

Negrense forward Raffy Celis led the Blazers with 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Ian Torres added 12 while Winston “Tony” Ynot chipped in 11.

Benilde surged ahead 26-17 behind Celis’ 13 first-half points, later stretching the advantage to 47-31 at halftime after an 11-0 run capped by back-to-back triples from Ynot.

Mapua mounted a fightback in the third quarter, scoring nine field goals to trim the deficit to 60-53. The Cardinals then seized a 63-62 lead in the final period following a 9-0 burst sparked by Cyrus Cuenco.

Cuenco cut the Blazers’ lead to two, 74-72, with 13.6 seconds left.

Mapua still had a chance to tie the game, but JC Recto missed two free throws and Cyrus Nitura’s final attempt also failed to drop.

Recto finished with 18 points, Cuenco added 17, while Cyril Gonzales tallied 11 in his final collegiate appearance. Clint Escamis, meanwhile, was limited to three points before being ejected in the second half.

In the other knockout game, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights claimed the last Final 4 berth after defeating the Arellano University Chiefs.

Johnsherick Estrada powered the Knights with 19 points. Kevin Santos added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jun Roque and Aaron Buensalida contributed 11 and 10, respectively.

T-Mc Ongotan led Arellano with 23 points, while Anjord Cabotaje added 18.

However, the Chiefs fell short of reaching the semifinals despite holding a twice-to-beat advantage./ASC, WDJ