St. Benilde shocked Mapua, 70-67, to notch its first win in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.
Carlo Lastimosa, Jan Tan and Mark Romero combined for 37 points and themselves came through with the big shots to scuttle Mapua’s late charge.
Mapua set out among the favorites after finishing second behind the National U Bulldogs in the recent Fr. Martin Cup.
“We know Mapua is one of the stronger teams this year because they’re bigger, more athletic and experienced,” said St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario. “But the boys showed a lot of heart and proved that if we play like that, we can pull surprises.”
The Cardinals badly missed the services of Yousef Taha with the 6-foot-7 Fil-Palestinian serving a game suspension. He’s a potential double-double performer for Mapua.
Behind clutch baskets by Romero, Tan and Lastimosa, the Blazers surged 69-63 ahead from a 62-63 deficit.
St. Benilde held on to the lead to the finish as it handed Mapua a second straight defeat. – Joey Villar