INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The Mapua Cardinals kept their Final Four bid alive after defeating the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers, 72-61, at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Friday.

Kelvin Dela Peña and Allan Mangahas joined forces late in the final period to power Mapua to a 72-61 drubbing of Jose Rizal U, 72-61, as the Cardinals joined a three-team tie for the last Final Four berth in the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Playing with a mild sprained ankle, the reed-thin Mangahas sizzled for 12 points inside the final four minutes, enabling the Cardinals to close out the elimination-round with a 9-5 record in a tie with San Sebastian and Jose Rizal. The scenario that will be adapted to break the tie will be announced after the result of the San Beda-Letran match on Wednesday.

Mangahas knocked in a triple off a nifty feed from Dela Peña with 2 minutes remaining to make it 65-56 and buried another to beat the shot-clock with 20 seconds left to finish with 22 points, built on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

"As much as possible, we wanted to put our fate into our own hands," said Mapua coach Leo Isaac. "We didn't think about the results of other games because we knew if we win we still have a shot at the Final Four."

Dela Peña, who was picked by Alaska in the PBA Draft Sunday, flirted with a triple-double, ending up with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He also had four steals.

"He's the spiritual leader of the team," Isaac said of De La Peña, the 2007 NCAA MVP, who has been juggling his time practicing with the Aces and the Cardinals over the past week.