JRU routs woeful CSB for first win

MANILA, Philippines – Jose Rizal University (JRU) claimed its first victory of the NCAA Season 92 tournament in style, crushing the woeful De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers, 86-56, on Tuesday at the Arena in San Juan.

After losing their first two games of the season against Mapua Institute of Technology and University of Perpetual Help, the Heavy Bombers finally found their rhythm both on offense and defense, with Tey Teodoro leading the way in a 22-6 first quarter while Paolo Pontejos caught fire down the stretch to give JRU a massive lead.

The Blazers, who have now lost four straight games, were never in the fight after the brutal opening frame and went on to trail by as much as 32 points.

"Siguro na-challenge sila sa kung ano ang sinabi ko sa kanila," said JRU head coach Vergel Meneses, who questioned his players' pride after their loss to the Altas. "Sinabi ko, lahat halos ng mga basketball aficionados, mga critics, (sinasabi na) walang disiplina, at 'yung pride, wala doon."

"Siguro, they wanted to prove something," he added.

(READ: Mapua soars to solo lead behind still dominant Oraeme)

Teodoro had 13 points in the opening frame to power JRU's hot start, outscoring the Blazers all by himself. Pontejos took over in the second half, scoring seven points in the third as the Blazers built a 25-point advantage, 57-32.

"Baka maganda ang gising," Meneses said of Pontejos, who was held scoreless in their loss to Perpetual Help but contributed a game-high 23 points this time around. "Kanina talagang nag-step up siya. Nakita ko na 'yung rhythm niya, andoon."

Pontejos would score 11 more points in the final period, including an acrobatic lay-up that with 8:43 to go, and punctuated his strong game with a triple at the 5:53 mark.

JRU led by 30 points twice, at 74-44 and again at 79-49, and built its biggest lead at 84-52 following an and-1 play from Andrei Dada.

Teodoro slowed down after this huge first quarter and finished with 15 points, while Abdel Poutouochi had 10 points and seven rebounds. The Heavy Bombers shot 50.82% from the field and scored 21 points off CSB's 18 turnovers.

In contrast, the Blazers converted only 37.5% of their shots, making only two three-pointers. JJ Domingo had 21 points, four rebounds and five assists, while big man Kendrix Belgica had 11 points, most of which came when the game was already well out of hand.

"Consistency (ang kailangan)," Meneses said of his team, who now have a 1-2 win-loss record. "If we will play like that, lahat ng teams, they will have a hard time beating us."

The scores:

JRU (86) - Pontejos 23, Teodoro 15, Poutuouchi 15, Abdulrazak 8, Evardo 6, Dela Paz 5, Lasquety 4, Mendoza 4, Dada 3, Astilla 2, Caballero 2, Cruz 2, Grospe 2, Dela Virgen 0.

CSB (56) - Domingo JJ 21, Belgica 11, Leutcheu 8, Dixon 4, Castro 3, Pajarillaga 2, Sta. Maria 2, Domingo JS 0, Pasamante 0, Saavedra 0, San Juan 0, Young 0.

Quarter scores: 22-6, 36-22, 57-34, 86-56

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