National University set the tone early and maintained their dominance throughout the game to defeat Mapua, 94-76, in the SBP Invitational Games held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs held a slim eight-point lead after the first quarter, 26-18, but with Omar John leading the way, they extended their advantage to 18 points at halftime, 54-36.
The Cardinals struggled to mount a comeback and could only come within 13 points in the second half.
“Any given day pag nagperform naman ang mga players ko alam nila kung anong kalalabasan, kumbaga day in day out ganon pa rin yung approach namin,” said NU head coach Jeff Napa.
“It’s a great experience for us syempre kahit papaano naging part kami doon sa preparation for the World Cup,” he said on their participation in the test games.
Omar John led the Bulldogs with 18 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and grabbing five rebounds. Mike Malonzo recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
PJ Palacielo contributed 17 points, while Donn Lim and Jake Figueroa added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Toby Agustin led the charge for Mapua with 20 points, while Paolo Hernandez scored 18 points.
The Invitational Games were organized as a test run for the upcoming World Cup, which will be held in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
In other games, College of St. Benilde narrowly defeated De La Salle University at the Pasay venue, 88-76. Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University secured a victory over Colegio de San Juan de Letran at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, 90-85, and the University of the Philippines emerged victorious against San Beda University, winning 99-62.
The Scores:
NU 94 – John 18, Palacielo 17, Malonzo 12, Lim 11, Figueroa 10, Parks 8, Padrones 6, Manansala 4, Gulapa 4, Yu 2, Jumamoy 2, Enriquez 0.
Mapua 76 – Agustin 20, Hernandez 18, Escamis 9, Bonifacio 9, Nocum 8, Dalisay 5, Soriano 2, Recto 2, Igliane 0.
Quarterscores: 26-18, 54-36, 76-63, 94-76
