Blazers back on track

College of Saint Benilde rode on the strong effort by Cameroonian Clement Leutcheu as it routed Jose Rizal University, 81-66, to get back on the winning track of the 94th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

“I’m just trying to do what the coaches want me to do and try to improve on several aspects of my game.

The 6-foot-7 Leutcheu delivered a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds to lift the Blazers to their second win against the same number of losses including a heartbreaking 69-75 defeat to San Beda University a week ago.

“I’m just trying to do what the coaches want me to do and try to improve on several aspects of my game,” said Leutcheu.

Leading by just a point, 16-15, at the end of the first quarter, Leutcheu banged in 10 of Saint Benilde’s 21 points in the second period to go into the halftime break with 37-27 lead.

Yankie Haruna took over in the third canto where he poured in nine of his 15 points to help the Blazers hike it to 13 points, 58-45, and was never threatened from there.

Saint Benilde coach TY Tang said all they need is to be more consistent.

“It was about consistency. We’re not yet used to the grit and grind type of games in the NCAA and that’s what we really lacked as a team,” said Tang.

“It’s a long season and we get a chance to correct the mistakes and improve and maybe we can peak at the right time.”

There was an anxious moment midway in the second quarter when JRU’s Justin Padua hit Saint Benilde’s Unique Naboa in a loose ball scramble and with the Blazers barely taking care of a thin three-point advantage, 28-25.