“I’ve really trusted Robi a lot. He really emerged as the leader in the bubble namin and he really showed that leadership which I am happy about. He’s always been a good defensive player so now it’s just a matter of giving him opportunities to shine,” Blazers head coach Charles Tiu said.

“It’s surprising, but I’m happy with the results,” he added.

Benilde skipped a heartbeat as Justin Arana marked a three with 1:35 marks 70-66 but the Blazers were able to keep up and tie it to 70-70 with one minute left in the fourth frame.

And this is where Nayve was hailed as the hero of the day after nailing a crucial three-points with 55 seconds left and lifted the Blazers from 73-71 to 76-71 to leave Arellano in despair.

While Will Gozum helped Nayve in commandeering the team with his 17 points and 15 boards followed by the twin digits of 10 of Miggy Corteza.

Arellano couldn’t wean off the Blazers with Arana suffering from a sprained ACL but was able to mark 14 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks and two assists.

The scores: 

St. Benilde 76 – Nayve 19, Gozum 17, Corteza 10, Marcos 7, Benson 6, Publico 6, Carlos 5, Cullar 2, Lepalam 2, Flores 1, Davis 1, Tateishi 0, Sangco 0, Mosqueda 0, Lim 0. 

Arellano 71 – Caballero 15, Arana 14, Doromal 12, Sablan 10, Steinl 9, Abastillas 4, Sta. Ana 3, Valencia 2, Oliva 2, Cruz 0, Talampas 0, Concepcion 0, Carandang 0.

Quarterscores: 14-11; 36-29; 58-54; 74-71.