MAPÚA survived a late scare by turning overtime into a three-point clinic.
The Cardinals outlasted Emilio Aguinaldo College, 89-84, in the NCAA Season 102 crossover round on Tuesday, with Cy Cuenco and Ivan Lazarte combining for 52 points and three clutch triples in the extra period.
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EAC forced overtime with 3.4 seconds left in regulation, when MJ Raymundo took the inbound and knocked down the tying shot to make it 72-all.
Cuenco drilled back-to-back threes to open overtime before Lazarte added another, giving Mapúa a hat trick of clutch triples and enough separation to stay ahead.
“All of our games are close. I think that's the experience na nakuha namin from the past few games. We needed to move forward sa mga mistakes ng mga players," said Mapúa head coach Chito Victolero.
"I need to be patient with these guys because there's a lot of rookies sa team. They’re still learning and hindi naman natin pwedeng sisihin ‘yung mga bata dahil kulang pa sa experience at maturity, pero they will learn.”
Both set new career highs in the win, with Cuenco pouring in 28 points on 7-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc and Lazarte finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The result added to Mapúa’s midseason turnaround under new head coach Chito Victolero. After an 0-3 start, the Cardinals have now beaten defending champion San Beda, Arellano and EAC in succession.
The Scores:
MU 89 - Cuenco 28, Lazarte 24, Diaz 8, Concepcion 7, Bernabe 7, Liwanag 6, Reyes 4, Igliane 4, Dones 1, L. Nitura 0, Razon 0
EAC 84 - Castillo 19, Oftana 12, Bagay 11, Ochavo 10, H. Raymundo 9, Shanoda 9, M. Raymundo 6, Nunag 5, Coronel 2, Sealey 1, Bonus 0
Quarters: 22-20, 37-36, 53-54, 72-72, 89-84.
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