SAN JUAN, MM—Mapua completed a comeback from a late deficit to hand San Sebastian a defeat in Rodney Santos' NCAA coaching debut with an 88-86 victory at the FilOil Flying V Arena on Thursday.
The Cardinals scored the last seven points of the game and needed huge defensive gems to steal the win from the Golden Stags, who led for most of the match.
Leading by as much as 11 in the third quarter, San Sebastian was up, 86-81, with 2:10 remaining in the game.
But Allwell Oraeme made a basket on the other end and blocked a San Sebastian shot shortly after, which eventually led to Mapua getting the ball back.
Josan Nimes then converted a runner that further trimmed the Stags' lead to just one, 86-85, with 49.9 seconds remaining.
The Cardinals made another stop on the Stags, giving them the ball back. C.J. Isit, who got fouled in transition, made two free throws to give them the 87-86 lead.
San Sebastian tried to regain the advantage, but the team missed on three close-range shots, and Mapua grabbed the rebound.
The Stags had another shot at forcing overtime when Shane Menina split his charities, but they lost the ball in the end.
Nimes led Mapua, which moved up to 1-1, with 20 points, while Oraeme added 15 along with 22 rebounds and five blocks.
Jamil Ortuoste tallied 21 markers for San Sebastian
Box Scores:
Mapua 88—Nimes 20, Braña 18, Oraeme 15, Isit 14, Que 7, Aguirre 7, Menina 4, Stevens 2, Villaseñor 1, Biteng 0, Serrano 0, Dela Rosa 0, Raflores 0
San Sebastian 86—Ortouste 21, Calisaan 19, Costelo 16, Guinto 13, Fabian 13, Santos 4, Pretta 0, Bulanadi 0, Vera 0, David 0, Capobres 0, Mercado 0
Quarterscores: 25-29, 41-50, 67-65, 88-86
