Tony Ynot of the St. Benilde Blazers during Game 1 of the NCAA Season 100 Men’s Basketball Finals against the Mapua Cardinals. –NCAA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Tony Ynot struggled to get things going as St. Benilde’s lost in Game 1 to Mapua in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Season 100 final.
The Blazers suffered an 84-73 loss to the Cardinals, with Ynot scoring just seven points as a starter and on the verge of losing another shot at the title.
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“We didn’t do that much with our defense. We lost the ball a lot. “We just get back to watching (film), we prepare to avoid our mistakes and we will put everything in order to get back on our feet for Game 2,” Ynot said on Sunday after the loss Filipino.
READ: NCAA finals: Mapua is one win away from title, beats Benilde
The Blazers looked like a deer in the spotlight as they allowed 23 turnovers against Mapua, who in turn recorded 19 steals as a team.
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Ynot felt Mapua’s defense go into overdrive on his finish, managing just three of eight attempts from the field.
“Suddenly I was doubled up and I wasn’t ready,” said the shady security guard. “I will study these mistakes in training and change my reaction to their defense. I’ll just get back to training and stay focused.”
READ: NCAA: Allen Liwag focused only on winning the title for Benilde
Charles Tiu and the Blazers will also have to figure out how to stop Cardinals star guard Clint Escamis, who delivered another scoring masterpiece in the opener.
“We will study his movements because he is really good. In training we will think about how to stop him and defend him, because even if he scores a double, he still finds a way to score,” Ynot said. “Hopefully we can stop him for Game 2.”
Benilde will be looking to force a decisive Game 3 on Saturday when they take on Mapua in Game 2 at the Big Dome.
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