By: Joaquin Cortez
Yam Concepcion finally got to show what he could do without foul trouble as Mapúa University brought unbeaten Arellano University back down to earth with a 69-55 victory to open the crossover round of the NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
After being limited by foul trouble in three of Mapúa’s last five games, Concepcion made his presence felt on both ends of the floor, posting a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds while adding five blocks and four steals to power the Cardinals.
After losing their first three games, the Cardinals have now won their last two outings to improve to 2-3. Arellano, meanwhile, wrapped up its Group B assignments with four straight wins before suffering its first loss of the season to drop to 4-1.
“Si Yam, siya ‘yong leader ko sa court and at the same time, siya ‘yong nag-a-anchor sa amin sa depensa. For the last two games, medyo nafo-foul out siya, and I reminded him about the calmness, frustrations, and the composure. I think ‘yong quote na ‘yon nakatulong kay Yam,” Mapúa head coach Chito Victolero said.
“I want to give credit to the whole team. They are buying in, and they embraced the defensive mentality of this team,” he added.
After a tightly contested first half, Mapúa’s stifling defense clamped down on Arellano’s potent offense, limiting the Chiefs to just seven points in the third quarter as the Cardinals pulled away to take a 53-44 lead into the final period.
Arellano made one last push to keep its winning streak alive, with King Vinoy converting a layup to cut Mapúa’s lead to five, 55-50.
The Chiefs’ run proved short-lived, however, as Mapúa answered with a 9-2 spurt capped by Lance Nitura’s layup, restoring the Cardinals’ double-digit cushion at 64-52 with over five minutes remaining.
Tempers also flared midway through the fourth quarter as Mapúa’s Marcus Nitura was ejected after arguing with a referee over a traveling call following his eurostep layup attempt.
That did little to slow Mapúa down, as the Cardinals continued to contain T-Mac Ongotan and King Vinoy. The Arellano duo struggled to find their shooting touch, while Mapúa capitalized on timely offensive rebounds before Marc Cuenco drilled a triple in the final minutes to put the game out of reach and hand Arellano its first loss of the season.
Aside from Concepcion, Ian Lazarte was Mapúa’s other double-digit scorer with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Lance Nitura added nine points and five boards.
Ongotan, who had been on fire through the early stretch of the season, was limited to just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, while Vinoy finished with two points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Renzo Abiera led Arellano’s offense with 13 points, followed by Yuan Camay with 10.
Both teams will resume their crossover round campaigns on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the same venue. Mapúa will look to build on its momentum against Emilio Aguinaldo College at 5:00 p.m., while Arellano University will aim to bounce back against Jose Rizal University at 3:00 p.m.
The Scores:
Mapúa 69 – Concepcion 22, Lazarte 17, L. Nitura 9, Cuenco, 7, Igliane 4, Diaz, 3, M. Nitura 2, Liwanag 2, Dones 2, Razon 1, Reyes 0, Ryan III 0.
Arellano 55 – Abiera 13, Camay 10, Ongotan 7, Cabotaje 7, Flores 6, Hernal 3, Geronimo 3, Vinoya 2, Buenaventura 2, Borromeo 2, Langit 0, Manansala 0, Anama 0.
Quarterscores: 19-15, 37-37, 53-44, 69-55.
