San juan city: Shawn Umali played his best game in his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) career as he led the College of St. Benilde (CSB) to a 76-66 win against Jose Rizal University (JRU) at the Playtime FilOil Center in San Juan City on Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, stepping up more with the absence of the injured Allen Liwag, the bruising Umali dominated for the Blazers as he put up a career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting with 12 rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and three steals.
‘We said, ‘You know what? We have an advantage with Shawn. So, let’s go to Shawn,” coach Charles Tiu said after the win. The six-foot-three power forward is making the most of his one-and-done stint with CSB following his transfer from Lyceum.
‘I give all the credit in the world to Shawn. He came to play today in probably his best game in a Benilde uniform by far. He played bully ball and showed why he’s, hopefully, PBA material in the future,’ added Tiu, whose current main man inside the paint is set to join Terrafirma in the professional league right after his NCAA stint is done.
The Dyip’s second-round pick in the recent PBA draft, though, already had a taste of pro ball action in 2023, playing for Siniloan in the Pilipinas Super League and Manila in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League under a special guest license (SGL), which enabled Umali to stay amateur.
The NCAA stopped honoring SGLs last year, barring its student-athletes from playing in any play-for-pay league from then on. Helping Umali push Benilde to an 8-4 record were Tony Ynot and Jhomel Ancheta, who finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Shawn Argente was the sole double-digit scorer for the Heavy Bombers, held to only eight points in the fourth quarter, with 14 points to his name. JRU dropped to a 6-7 record in Group B.
As of writing, the Blazers hold solo second in the group with San Beda sitting atop the ladder with an 8-3 card. JRU, meanwhile, is relegated to the play-in for the fourth seed against Emilio Aguinaldo College, which is holding a 4-7 card.
