December 9 ------ After 33 years of futility, the Mapua Cardinals finally ascended the summit of NCAA men’s basketball after dismantling the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 94-82, in the Game 2 of their finals before an energetic crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Mapua fought back St. Benilde’s hot start by patiently tearing the game wide open starting at the second period and holding on to that momentum on their way to their sixth title overall in league history. They won Game 1 last week, 84-73.
It was a redemption of sorts for the Cardinals after being hounded by last season’s heartbreak where they lost the last two final games and the title to San Beda. Redemption complete, indeed. Clint Escamis, who was later adjudged Finals MVP, put up another impressive effort for the Cardinals, following up his 30-point production in Game 1 with 18 points, four assists, three steals and one rebound.
Marc Cuenco also shone for Mapua, topscoring for 19 points, while Lawrence Mangubat and Rookie of the Year awardee Chris Hubilla chipped in 17 and 15 points, respectively. Mapua stepped on the gas with a 45-37 lead in the first half as coach Randy Alcantara shuffled his lineup and went on to collect 19 points off the bench. They also took advantage of St. Benilde’s erratic plays as the Blazers stumbled to 16 turnovers, which Mapua converted to 14 points. St. Benilde attempted to grab the tempo by trimming its deficit to only two, 48-46, early in the third following a 9-3 blitz, but Mapua remained unfazed, exploding behind the arc by draining five triples to pull away, 66-56, at the end of the third.
The Blazers made last-ditch efforts in the final canto, but the Cardinals kept piling on the points, leading by as many as 15 points, 79-64, off a three-point play Hubilla in the last 5:26 of the game and never looked back. Justine Sanchez scored 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Tony Ynot and Season MVP Allen Liwag had 17 and 14 points, respectively, for the Blazers, but the Cardinals were too tough to handle.
Source: mb.com.ph
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