MANILA – Mapua University Cardinals secured a spot in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament finals by mounting a significant endgame run to eliminate College of St. Benilde Blazers, 78-67, on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In a back-and-forth contest in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals seized control at 62-58 with key baskets from Clint Escamis. However, the Blazers responded with a surge, briefly reclaiming the lead at 65-64 on a three-point play by Miguel Oczon.
The Cardinals then went on a 14-2 finishing run behind connections from Paolo Hernandez, Jopet Soriano, and Escamis to secure the victory and the first NCAA Finals seat.
Hernandez top-scored with 22 points, with half coming in the fourth quarter; Escamis added 21 markers, including 14 in the second half; and Marc Cuenco ended with 10 points for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals needed only a victory to advance to the NCAA men’s basketball Finals due to their twice-to-beat advantage in finishing the double-round eliminations as the No. 1 team.
This was Mapua’s first appearance in the finals since their runner-up finish during NCAA Season 97, when they lost to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights. The school is also eyeing its first crown since 1992.
Oczon top-scored for the NCAA Season 85 runner ups Blazers 17 points; Miguel Corteza added 14 markers and eight rebounds; and Prince Carlos ended with 10 points.
Meanwhile, San Beda University Red Lions forced a rubber match in their semifinals series with Lyceum of the Philippines Pirates after hacking out a wire-to-wire 89-68 domination.
Jacob Cortez had another solid performance with 28 points, including four three-point conversions, to go with eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals for the no. 3 ranked Red Lions.
Yukien Andrada chipped in 12 markers, four rebounds, and two assists, while Nygel Gonzales contributed 12 points for San Beda, which will face the Pirates in a do-or-die game on December 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum./PN
BOX SCORE:
MAPUA 78- Hernandez 22, Escamis 21, Cuenco 10, Bonifacio 9, Soriano 6, Rodillo 4, Recto 3, Asuncion 3, Igliane 0, Fornis 0, Dalisay 0.
CSB 67- Oczon 17, Corteza 14, Carlos 10, Gozum 9, Sangco 5, Mara 5, Turco 3, Arciaga 2, Marcos 2, Nayve 0, Cajucom 0, Marasigan 0, Davis 0.
Quarterscores: 14-18, 34-37, 56-55, 78-67.
