Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 19) – The Mapua University Cardinals notched a statement win in NCAA Season 97 with a 84-65 rout of the College of St. Benilde Blazers on Tuesday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
The victory promoted Mapua to the solo third spot of the team standings with a 5-2 slate, while CSB dropped to fourth place with a 4-3 record.
Brian Lacap led the Cardinals scoring attack with his career-high 22 points, while Paolo Hernandez produced 17 markers and seven rebounds in their victory.
Both Lacap and Hernandez buried four triples each as the Randy Alcantara-mentored Mapua side drained 12 three-point baskets in the game, compared to a single trey by their opponents.
A big second quarter offensive push planted the seeds for the Cardinals’ wide margin as they erected a 39-30 halftime advantage.
The second half was a Mapua shooting show with Lacap and Hernandez orchestrating their offense and supported by Adrian Nocum and Toby Agustin, who notched 14 and nine points, respectively.
The perimeter offense switch of the Cardinals proved to be effective as they bucked the limited minutes of versatile big man Warren Bonifacio – who only finished with four points due to being in foul trouble early in the contest.
“Our extra shooting during training paid off in this game. We were always taught in training to always pass the ball to the open man for a shot,” Lacap said after the game as the Cardinals are on a two-game winning streak.
Will Gozum led CSB, who are on their first losing streak of the season, with 13 points and 14 rebounds while Miggy Corteza added 11 markers.
The Cardinals are up for a tough task in their next game on Saturday as they face unbeaten San Beda Red Lions, while the Blazers look to end their losing skid against San Sebastian Golden Stags on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Scores:
MAPUA 84 – Lacap 22, Hernandez 17, Nocum 14, Agustin 9, Gamboa 8, Pido 6, Mercado 4, Bonifacio 4, Asuncion 0, Salenga 0, Milan 0, Garcia 0, Soriano 0
CSB 65 – Gozum 13, Corteza 11, Benson 10, Carlos 8, Nayve 6, Davis 5, Marcos 4, Cullar 4, Lepalam 3, Flores 1, Mosqueda 0, Sangco 0, Publico 0, Lim 0
Quarterscores: 19-19, 39-30, 62-47, 84-65
