JOSE Rizal University formalized its entry in the NCAA Season 93 Final Four as it halted Mapua's winning streak to two with a hard-earned 62-58 win on Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Center.
The win clinched third place for the Heavy Bombers with an 11-6 record as they make a return to the semifinals after missing out on a spot in the Final Four last year.
The Heavy Bombers had a shaky end on offense in the final stretch of the game, but ultimately held on after leaning on their stingy defense.
The Heavy Bombers choked the life out of the Cardinals, holding them scoreless in the final two minutes to preserve their four point lead amid turnovers and missed foul shots.
The loss dropped the Cardinals to 3-13.
"Honestly I'm not happy. They didn’t want to follow instructions. They thought they can beat them on offense alone and ayun nga nangyari," said Vergel Meneses
"But the last three or four possessions we were able to get defensive stops, we had good blocks," he added.
Tey Teodoro paced the Heavy Bombers with 19 points amid his struggles from downtown as Jed Mendoza added 10 points and three assists. Abdul Sawat also stepped up in lieu of Ervin Grospe who struggled with sickness, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds.
Almell Orquina led the Cardinals with 19 points as Christian Bunag had another monster night at the boards with 19, to go along with 10 points.
The Scores:
JRU 62 - Teodoro 19, Mendoza 10, Sawat 9, Grospe 8, Lasquety 6, Bordon 4, Abdulrazak 2, Poutouochi 2, David 2, Dela Virgen 0.
MAPUA 58 - Orquina 14, Pelayo 11, Bunag 10, Victoria 8, Estrella 8, Raflores 6, Aguirre 1, Gabo 0, Jimenez 0.
Quarterscores: 21-17, 36-32, 52-47, 62-58.
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