Mapua University’s defense prevailed in the clutch, beating University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 73-65, in the NCAA Season 98 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Down by four, 65-69 with under a final minute remaining, John Abis came up with a steal which led to a three-on-one fastbreak with Jielo Razon driving.
Razon however committed a crucial turnover as Paolo Hernandez stole it with 20-ticks left.
With no choice but to foul, the Cardinals fouled Adrian Nocum with 14.5 seconds remaining. Nocum split his free throws missing the second one but he was able to secure the rebound to seal the win for Mapua.
“Second half ganun na naman, suamandal kami sa depensa namin and dun na nag-start lahat,” said the Cardinals head coach Randy Alcantara.
Holding just a 37-34 lead going into the final quarter. Mapua was looking to pull away early. Fortunately for the Altas, Carlo Ferreras was able to keep it close scoring 13 of their 17 points in the said quarter.
Four Cardinals finished in double figures led by Warren Bonifacio 14 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
JJ Pido added 13 markers, four boards, a dime, and a swipe; while Paolo Hernandez and Toby Agustin contributed 11 and 10 apiece.
Also for Mapua, Adrian Nocum had a game-high 10 rebounds together with nine points and a plus-16 in the box plus/minus category.
Carlos Ferreras paved the way for Perpetual with 22 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 46.2-percent shooting.
The Cardinals (4-9) got their second back-to-back win — including four of their last five. The Altas, on the other hand, dropped to 5-7.
Next up for Mapua is on Saturday against San Sebastian at 12 NN. Perpetual will have an 11-day break and will be back on November 5 against Lyceum of the Philippines (8-3) at 12 NN.
The Scores:
Mapua 73 — Bonifacio 14, Pido 13, Hernandez 11, Agustin 10, Nocum 9, Cuenco 8, Mercado 6, Soriano 2, Garcia 0, Salenga 0.
Perpetual Help 65 –– Ferreras 22, Pagaran 10, Abis 5, Egan 5, Roque 5, Boral 5, Barcuma 4, Flores 3, Razon 2, Omega 2, Nitura 2, Martel 0, Orgo 0.
Quarterscores: 18-23, 34-37, 60-54, 73-65.
