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| CSB players can only watch Drex Delos Reyes slam the ball in. NCAA |
MANILA––Mapua took advantage of an off game from the College of St. Benilde to score a 73-58 win in their NCAA men's basketball quarterfinals at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City on Wednesday.
The Cardinals, in the process, kept their title defense alive as they forced a rubber match against the team they beat last year in the finals.
Although Shawn Umali drew first blood for the Blazers, it was almost all-Cardinals from there as they quickly pulled away and opened a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter.
CSB found its offensive game going in the third quarter, but Mapua quickly doused the cold water on a comeback attempt.
Cyril Gonzales led the Cardinals with 17 points on 8-of-15 field goals, one rebound, and three steals, while JC Recto added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, and nine rebounds in a game where Clint Escamis only had two points, both on free throws, without a field goal made out of 10 attempts.
Umali and Ian Torres each had 10 points for the Blazers, who have another chance to dethrone the Cardinals on Friday back at the Playtime FilOil Centre.
The scores:
MAPÚA 73 – Gonzales 17, Recto 11, Cuenco 10, Delos Reyes 9, Lazarte 8, Nitura 5, Sapasap 4, Concepcion 4, Igliane 3, Escamis 2, Reyes 0
ST. BENILDE 58 – Umali 10, Torres 10, Ynot 8, Sanchez 8, Liwag 7, Gaspay 5, Ancheta 4, Cometa 3, Oli 3, Morales 0, Celis 0, Cajucom 0, Moore 0, Eusebio 0
Quarterscores: 24-13, 39-27, 56-47, 73-58
