MANILA, Philippines - Jose Rizal overpowered Emilio Aguinaldo, 76-60, and St. Benilde shocked Mapua, 70-67, to barge into the win column in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.
The Bombers imposed their game in dominating the Generals while the Blazers made key shots in the home stretch to pull the rug from under the Cardinals as JRU and St. Benilde nailed their first win after dropping their first two games in the tourney.
“The boys worked hard on defense and we built momentum in doing so,” said Jose Rizal coach Vergel Meneses.
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.