MANILA, Philippines — Bruiser Shawn Umali was unstoppable, pouring in a career-high 28 points to lead College of Saint Benilde to a 76-66 win over Jose Rizal University (JRU) in the NCAA Season 101 men's basketball tournament on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Umali's impressive performance included 12 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, making it his best outing in the league with the Benilde Blazers.
This win puts CSB one step closer to securing a twice-to-beat incentive in the next round.
“I give all the credit in the world to Shawn; he came to play today in probably his best game in a Benilde uniform by far. He played bully ball and showed why he’s, hopefully, PBA material in the future,” head coach Charles Tiu said after the game.
Benilde's guards showed up big time, with Tony Ynot and Jhomel Ancheta chipping in 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Blazers' balanced offense proved too much for JRU, despite Shawn Argente's 14-point effort for the Heavy Bombers.
The win improved Benilde's record to 8-3, putting them tied with San Beda. Meanwhile, JRU's 6-7 record puts them on shaky ground, with the play-in round looming.