Colegio de San Juan de Letran got the better of Mapua University, hacking a 67-62 triumph, in the much-anticipated NCAA Seniors Basketball Tournament finals rematch on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
After only hitting one field goal in the first 7:30 minutes of the fourth quarter, Mapua went on an 8-0 run capped by a Brian Lacap bucket to cut the deficit to two, 59-61, with 1:11 left.
It was then that Fran Yu had enough. He knocked down a long three-pointer to give the Knights a two-possession lead, 64-59 with 46 seconds left in the game.
Jopet Soriano quickly answered back with a basket of his own, 61-64. Then Kurt Reyson made both his free throws to get a 66-61 advantage with 34 seconds remaining.
Coming off a timeout, Arvin Gamboa attempted a three-pointer but missed. Then Kevin Santos split from the stripe with 22.8-ticks left to ice the game.
“Masaya. I’m happy with my player, lalo na sa mga veterans na nag-step up sa endgame. Ayun nga sinabi na yung composure andoon,” said Letran head coach Bonnie Tan.
It was a highly physical affair that saw 55 fouls, including a disqualifying foul at the 5:28-mark of the fourth. Brent Paraiso dropped his elbow at the back of the head of Adrian Nocum, earning him a disqualifying foul.
Fran Yu paved the way for the Knights with 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Paolo Javilionar added 14 markers and three boards.
For the Cardinals, Brian Lacap had 12 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Japeth Salenga finished with 11 markers, three boards, and two steals.
The Knights improved to 3-1. On the other hand, the Cardinals are on a four-game losing streak, dropping to 1-4.
Letran will face its rival San Beda University (2-2) on Friday at 3:00 PM. Meanwhile, Mapua will look to end their win drought against Jose Rizal University (2-2), on the same day at 12:00 NN.
The Scores:
Letran 67 — Yu 15, Javillonar 14, Caralipio 8, Reyson 8, Monje 7, Sangalang 6, Paraiso 5, Santos 3, Olivario 1, Miclat 0, Tolentino 0.
Mapua 62 –– Lacap 12, Salenga 11, Hernandez 9, Nocum 8, Soriano 6, Pido 6, Bonifacio 4, Gamboa 4, Parinas 2, Garcia 0, Igliane 0.
Quarterscores: 10-15, 32-33, 46-48, 67-62.
