Photo by August dela Cruz
MANILA—Skipper Mark Sarangay delivered the biggest plays as Mapua survived another tight endgame, this time against Perpetual Help, 65-62, Monday in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan.
With the Cardinals protecting a one-point lead late in the game, Sarangay grabbed two offensive rebounds and buried two cushion free throws with 10 seconds left as Mapua scored its third straight victory and improved to 5-6, half a game behind Lyceum at fourth.
“We’re finding ways to win close games— which was our problem in the first round,” said Cardinals coach Chito Victolero, whose charges also pulled off a 94-90 overtime win over St. Benilde last Wednesday.
Earlier, Arellano won for the third time in its last four outings by trouncing Emilio Aguinaldo College, 78-70.
Andrian Celada fired 23 points, including nine in the final period, as the Chiefs seized control early on before holding off a late Generals surge to post their fourth win in 11 games.
Arellano also found an unlikely contributor in seldom-used Mark Doligon, who tallied 14 points, matching Vergel Zulueta’s output.
Guard Remy Morada stepped up in the absence of Joshua Torralba and almost single-handedly carried the Generals back into the game with a 17-point third-quarter explosion that allowed EAC to briefly take a 60-58 lead.
The 6-foot-6 Sarangay, known more for his defensive prowess, finished with just four points, but for Victolero, his contribution went beyond the stats sheet.
“I have to give our captain Mark (Sarangay) credit,” Victolero said. “He’s our leader and those were two big offensive rebounds.”
In juniors’ action, EAC overcame Arellano, 62-57, for its third straight win and an 8-3 mark, while Mapua downed Perpetual, 100-72 to jack up its record to 6-5.
The Senior scores:
First Game
ARELLANO 78—Celada 23, Doligon 14, Zulueta 14, Acidre 12, Lapuz 10, Salcedo 2, Pagayunan 2, Casino 1, Palma 0, Del Rosario 0.
EAC 70—Morada 28, Jamon 11, Cubo 11, Paguia 9, Yaya 5, Sanchez 4, Villegas 2, Juliano 0, Diolanto 0.
Quarters: 21-10,43-31, 58-60, 78-70
Second Game
MAPUA 65—Nimes 21, Mangahas 12, Taha 12, Parala 7, Sarangay 4, Ranises 3, Stevens 2, Chien 2, Pascual 2, Banal 0.
PERPETUAL 62—Vidal 15, Alano 11, Elopre 8, Sison 6, Arboleda 5, Paulino 5, Jolangcob 3, Asuncion 3, Allen 3, Tonggal 2, Thompson 0, Sumera 0.
Quarters: 12-19, 34-36, 52-47, 65-62