Mapua Cardinals during a game against San Sebastian Stags in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Photo from NCAA
MANILA, Philippines: The NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Greenhills Gym in La Salle on Tuesday reduced Mapuo San Sebastian’s fight by 19 points to a 65-59 victory.
In the second drawn game, Paolo Hernandez came out on top for the Cardinals, knocking the clutch triple to make it 62-55 with 1:39 remaining.
With this win, Mapua has risen to 3-0 to join defending champions Latron and San Bedar at the top of the standings.
The Cardinals posted their biggest lead of the game, 47-28, when the Stags came back and threatened 55-59, after JM Kalma Basket entered the two-minute mark.
Warren Bonifacio, Mapuer’s tallest man on the floor, finished with a double-double output of 16 points and 14 rebounds.
The Cardinals will have to redouble their efforts to the frontline when they face the Knight of Intramuros neighbors on Friday, especially with the likes of Mark Sangalang and Geo Ambot.
“I am just preparing the big ones. It’s really just a game of body and mind. The height is already there for them, ”said Mapua coach Randy Alcantara.
“We will create other ways for other aspects of the game so that we can get it. We really need to work, ”he added.
Brian Lacap added 14 points, three assists and three boards, and Hernandez, who went from 3 to 10 on the field, contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Cardinals.
Ichie Altamirano had 10 points and Calma also scored 10 points and pulled nine rebounds for San Sebastian, which tied 1-2 at the University of Arena and the University of Perpetual Help System Dalter.
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