INQUIRER Sports

ALLAN MANGAHAS continued his sensational form as Mapua crushed La Consolacion College, 78-58, Thursday night to clinch a slot in the ?Sweet 16? of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League at the LCC Gym in Manila.

The former NCAA Rookie of the Year fired 21 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to lead the Cardinals to a return stint in the national finals of the event backed by Smart and PLDT.

By topping the Metro Manila-North Luzon zonals, the Cardinals became the sixth NCAA team in the ?Sweet 16.? It will be their fourth straight stint in the annual tournament that gathers the finest collegiate teams in the country.

No one expected the Cardinals to even reach the zonal competition after opening the NCAA season with a 1-12 record. But a five-game winning run catapulted them to sixth place at the end of the season and a berth in the zonals.

And with Mangahas averaging 21 points, the Cardinals swept their three games in the zonals to join San Sebastian, San Beda, Jose Rizal U, Letran and Arellano in the national finals, where UAAP champion Ateneo, University of the East, Far Eastern U and University of Santo Tomas are also assured of berths.

University of Visayas advanced as the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. champion while University of Cebu and University of San Carlos reached the ?Sweet 16? via the zonal tournaments in Cebu and Bacolod, respectively.

NAASCU squads San Sebastian Cavite and University of Manila also clinched slots in separate zonal meets.

The remaining ?Sweet 16? slot is being contested in Naga City with defending champion La Salle setting the pace with a 98-44 pummeling of NCAA-South champion Don Bosco at the start of the tournament Thursday night.

St. Francis of Assisi College looms as the Archers? toughest challenger after the Doves overpowered University of Nueva Caceres, 79-42.