SAN Beda survived the best punch Mapua has to offer to pull off a 69-60 victory to sweep the first round of the NCAA Season 95 seniors basketball tournament Friday at Cuneta Astrodome.
Calvin Oftana led the Red Lions with 24 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and two assists, but more importantly forced crucial stops in the endgame to escape with the squeaker.
James Canlas also had 10 points, five boards, and three dimes, while Donald Tankoua just went one assist shy of a triple-double with his 10 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
San Beda, however, had to gut out the win especially after committing 17 turnovers which aided Mapua to stay in the game.
But big stops on the part of the Red Lions late put the result beyond doubt, with Canlas icing the game with a fastbreak layup with 37.1 ticks left to increase the lead to 10, 67-57.
"It's really a lesson for everyone especially for my players in San Beda, that you really have to prepare for every game and don't underestimate any of the teams," lamented coach Boyet Fernandez.
"I hope it's a wakeup call for my players, that this season is not gonna be easy for us. We made some stops in the end, but we have to take good care of the basketball. We still have so many things to do."
The Red Lions once again put themselves ahead of the pack with their immaculate 9-0 record while also stretching their winning streak to 23 games dating back to last season.
For Fernandez, though, the clean sheet in the first round won't assure anything for San Beda, but rather, the path to the four-peat will be a lot more harder come the second round.
"Mas mahirap ang tatahakin namin ngayon," he said. "We're lucky that we won nine straight, but I don't expect that we're gonna win it all straight with the way we played today."
Paolo Hernandez carried the pesky Cardinals with 16 points on a 4-of-8 shooting from deep,, to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Noah Lugo also chimed in 13 points, six boards, and two assists, while Cyril Gonzales had 11 for Mapua, which saw its three-game win streak snapped and fall to 3-6.
The Scores:
SAN BEDA 69 -- Oftana 24, Canlas 10, Tankoua 10, Abuda 7, Bahio 5, Carino 4, Nelle 3, Doliguez 3, Soberano 3, Etrata 0, Alfaro 0, Noah 0.
MAPUA 60 -- Hernandez 16, Lugo 13, Gonzales 11, Bonifacio 7, Bunag 4, Gamboa 4, Victoria 2, Serrano 2, Salenga 1, Jabel 0.
Quarters: 16-16, 30-28, 49-45, 69-60.
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