18 September 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – Mapua University surpassed its number of wins from last year in expense of College of St. Benilde, 86-83, on Tuesday in the NCAA Season 94 men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Mapua came to the game prepared and thumped CSB from the get-go.
However, the Blazers managed to cut down its 14-point deficit from the first half, 35-49, to a 69-70 score in the payoff period.
The Cardinals were not just about to give away what they started and answered back with an 11-3 run for an 80-73 lead with Laurenz Victoria on the frontline.
Big man Clement Leutcheu gave the Blazers one last push in the final minutes of the game, but rookie Warren Bonifacio clapped back with the final output needed for the Cardinals’ win, 84-80, 33 ticks left.
This is the first time since season 92 that the Cardinals won back-to-back games in the tournament. They also surpassed their last year’s total number of wins with a 4-8 record.
Victoria led Mapua with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Bonifacio chipped in 12 markrs, five boards and four assists.
On the other hand, Justin Gutang’s explosive 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists was put to waste as they faced their second consecutive loss in the tournament.
St. Benilde now places fourth with a 7-5 slate, giving Letran sole possession of the third spot.
The Scores:
MU (86) – Victoria 16, Bonifacio 12, Serrano 12, Lugo 11, Pelayo 10, Aguirre 9, Gamboa 8, Buñag 4, Jabel 2, Biteng 2, Nieles 0.
CSB (83) – Gutang 22, Pasturan 16, Leutcheu 15, Naboa 10, Nayve 10, Haruna 8, Dixon 2, Belgica 0, Velasco 0, Young 0.
Quarterscores: 28-19, 49-35, 63-55, 86-83
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