By: Joaquin Cortez
With their season on the line, reigning champions Mapua University kept their back-to-back title aspirations alive by forcing a do-or-die showdown against the College of Saint Benilde, 73-58, in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Mapua avenged their crossover loss from November 4, when Benilde pulled off an 18-0 run in their first rematch since the finals.
Cyril Gonzales showcased his championship pedigree, leading Mapua with 17 points and three steals. Meanwhile, JC Recto added 11 points on three triples and grabbed nine rebounds, helping the Cardinals force a decider.
“Non-negotiable, we really needed to win this game kasi may twice-to-beat advantage nga sila,” Mapua assistant coach Marlon Martin said.
“We (will) focus on the preparation. Hindi naman pwedeng i-dictats agad namin ang win. Go back to the drawing board kami and looking forward kami ‘don sa preparation namin for Game 2. I know it’s on Friday already.”
The two squads will meet one more time this season to determine who advances to the semifinals at the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Friday at 2:30 PM.
Mapua imposed its physicality early, putting Season 100 MVP Allen Liwag and Shawn Umali into early foul trouble. Leading 14-12, the Cardinals ended the first quarter on a high note with a Marc Cuenco triple to cap a 10-1 run and take an 11-point edge, 24-13.
The Cardinals kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter. Drex Delos Reyes’ dunk, followed by Ivan Lazarte’s triple, stretched their lead to 15, 33-18. The defending champions continued to create defensive stops before Ian Torres trimmed the deficit to 12 at halftime, 37-29.
Benilde eventually found its rhythm as Tony Ynot hit a triple to cut the deficit to four, 42-38, at the 7:05 mark of the third quarter. Mapua, however, steadied the ship and kept Benilde in check, carrying a 56-47 lead into the final frame.
After Ynot nailed another three-pointer to bring Benilde within five, 56-51, Recto responded with back-to-back triples to push the lead back to double digits, 62-51. From there, Mapua never looked back, with Cyril Gonzales’ layup sealing their season and title bid at 72-58.
Despite the win, Season 99 MVP Clint Escamis was limited to just one point in 21 minutes for Mapua.
For Saint Benilde, Ian Torres and Shawn Umali each scored 10 points, while reigning MVP Allen Liwag finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
The Scores:
Mapua 73 – Gonzales 17, Recto 11, Cuenco 10, Delos Reyes 9, Lazarte 8, Nitura 5, Sapasap 4, Concepcion 4, Igliane 3, Escamis 2, Reyes 0
Saint Benilde 58 – Umali 10, Torres 10, Ynot 8, Sanchez 8, Liwag 7, Gaspay 5, Ancheta 4, Oli 3, Cometa 3, Morales 0, Celis 0, Moore 0, Eusebio 0, Cajucom 0
Quarterscores: 24-13, 39-27, 56-47, 73-58
