MIT Cardinals vs AU Chiefs

Vacation-bound Arellano rocked the 87th NCAA seniors basketball caging with a 73-69 upset over favored Mapua at The Arena, hampering the Cardinals’ quest for the fourth and last berth to the Final Four.

Andrian Celada and Mark Doligon combined for 38 points while Jerald Lapuz bucked a nasty cut below the right eye to score 12 points as the Chiefs, already out of the running for the semis, improved to 6-11. 

“My challenge to the players, especially those who are in their last playing years, to play their best games in our last two outings and leave a good mark,” said AU coach Leo Isaac, who starred for Mapua in the 80s. 

The Cardinals slid to fifth with a 7-10 mark. 

The Chiefs had one extra motivation against the semis-chasing Cardinals: Revenge. 

“They beat us in the first round (73-70) only on a buzzer-beater by (Allan) Mangahas so it was some sort of a challenge to get payback in this game,” said Isaac. – Olmin Leyba