After a depressing 11-game losing skid, the Mapua Cardinals was able to make a comeback in the NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball tournament as they eliminate the St. Benilde Blazers from the Final Four race with a 79-68 win on Thursday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
“It’s been a long time,” said Coach Atoy Co, as they claimed their second win in the season, their first dating back to July 11 against the Letran Knights.
“Thank you to Laurenz, basta we keep on practicing and we still do our system,” added Co.
Laurenz Victoria led the Cardinals for a 14-1 run in the payoff period along with Denniel Aguirre, who also helped put St. Benilde stuck at 69 in the final two minutes of the game.
Second year Victoria produced seven of his 19 points in the final quarter on top of seven assists and four rebounds, while Aguirre added eight of his 15 points, also in the fourth frame, along with nine rebounds to seal the win for the Cardinals.
“I made a good decision today, because I just stayed to seven or six players and luckily, nag-produce sila,” said Co.
Leo Gabo, JP Nieles and Cedric Pelayo all had 11 points, while Christian Bunag hauled 16 rebounds to go with six markers.
The Mapua Cardinals, who are already out of the Final Four race, lifted to a 2-12 card, while St. Benilde Blazers dropped to a 3-11 slate.
Clement Leutcheu led the Blazers with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Unique Naboa had 12 points and three rebounds.
