MANILA, Philippines – St. Benilde breezed past Perpetual and coasted to its fourth straight win in NCAA Season 97 with an 83-73 romp at the La Salle Green Hills gym on Saturday, April 9.

Miggy Corteza dominated with 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Blazers seized solo third place with a 4-1 record, just behind unbeaten league leaders Letran Knights and San Beda Red Lions, who tote identical 4-0 cards.

Benilde has not lost since it dropped its season-opener against defending champion Letran.

“We just kept trusting our system,” Cortezs said. “Coach Charles (Tiu) just always tells us to stick to our defensive principles, stay together.”

AJ Benson backstopped Corteza with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the win that saw the Blazers lead by as many as 22 points.

The Altas cut their deficit to half going into the final period, 63-52, behind a 28-point explosion in the third quarter but the lead Benilde built proved too big to overcome.

Robi Nayve added 14 points for the Blazers, while Will Gozum fell short of a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Jielo Razon delivered 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals for Perpetual, which dropped to 2-3.

Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo College returned to the winning track with an 80-65 victory over Jose Rizal University in the second game of the day.

Three players scored in double figures for the Generals, led by Marwin Taywan, who chalked up 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

EAC improved to 2-3, while the Bombers remained winless in five games. – Rappler.com