MAPUA completed its rally from 10 points back to deal Emilio Aguinaldo College a 79-76 defeat Friday in the NCAA Season 95 seniors' basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Noah Lugo once again shone for the Cardinals with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists to help his side score back-to-back wins and take their fifth victory in last six games to improve to 5-6.
Defense did it for Mapua as it averted disaster late and clamped down on EAC after seeing its 11-point lead ate down to just two, 78-76 with 46.8 seconds left on the clock.
Marwin Taywan stole the ball from Lugo in the ensuing possession, but the Generals weren't able to find the bottom of the net in the endgame to help the Cardinals escape with the win.
"Kailangan lang matapatan yung energy nila kung hindi, talagang tatambakan kami nito," sighed coach Randy Alcantara. "Buti na lang naka-recover kami because of yung inside play namin."
Warren Bonifacio added a double-double with his 13 points and 10 rebounds, as Laurenz Victoria had 11 points, six boards, and three assists in the Mapua win to shake off a lackluster first half where it stared at numerous 10-point deficits.
Lucky for the Cardinals, it had more than ample time, using an 11-3 blast to turn a 51-47 deficit to a 58-54 lead late in the third frame before once again breaking away from a 62-all deadlock with a 13-2 tear to grab a 75-64 lead with 4:19 remaining.
Mapua pulled off the win despite missing the services of Paolo Hernandez, who sat the game out due to a knee injury.
JP Maguliano paced the skidding EAC with 15 points and five rebounds, while Taywan had 13 points, six boards, two assists, and two steals in the loss.
The two were the catalyst of the Generals' late fightback, but their rally came up short as they suffered their 10th straight loss to fall to a 1-10 card.
The Scores:
MAPUA 79 -- Lugo 16, Bonifacio 13, Victoria 11, Gonzales 9, Gamboa 7, Bunag 6, Serrano 5, Nieles 4, Nocum 4, Salenga 2, Aguirre 2, Garcia 0.
EAC 76 -- Maguliano 15, Taywan 13, De Guzman 12, Mendoza 10, Dayrit 8, Cadua 7, Gurtiza 4, Luciano 3, Estacio 2, Martin 2, Gonzales 0.
Quarters: 17-20, 35-43, 58-56, 79-76.
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