St. Benilde beats Mapua 78-65 in NCAA op

College of St. Benilde secured a 78-65 victory over Mapua in their opening game of the NCAA Season 100 men's basketball tournament on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

St. Benilde outscored Mapua 23-10 in the fourth quarter to seal the win after both teams were evenly matched for most of the game, with new transferee Allen Liwag leading the charge.

Liwag, who transferred from Emilio Aguinaldo College, scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, showing promise as he steps into the role vacated by Will Gozum.

Mapua's Clint Escamis led his team with 16 points but it wasn't enough to prevent the loss, despite Mapua leading by as much as nine points earlier in the game.

St. Benilde also received strong support from newcomers Gab Cometa and Tony Ynot, who contributed 17 points and a well-rounded performance of nine points, five rebounds, eight assists, and four steals respectively.