Cardinals try to put lock on No. 4 vs Generals

MANILA, Philippines–MAPUA TRIES to tighten its grip on the fourth and last semifinal spot when it battles Emilio Aguinaldo College today in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.   Just a game and a half behind third-running Jose Rizal U at 6-4, the Cardinals are actually shooting for a repeat of their first-round win over the slumping Generals in the 4 p.m. duel.   Mapua will go into the game oozing with confidence after a come-from-behind 63-60 triumph over Letran, in a game where it rallied from 14 points down in the last three and a half minutes.   Arellano, running two full games behind Mapua in fifth spot, hopes to boost its chances of entering the Final Four when it tackles St. Benilde at 2 p.m.   The Chiefs are aching to avenge their 64-70 defeat to the Blazers in the first round.   Like Mapua, St. Benilde is also coming off a confidence-boosting victory. The Blazers crushed the Generals, 82-63, for only their third win in 10 games last Monday.   St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario stressed the importance of consistency as they try to salvage the Blazers’ sputtering campaign.   “We have to be consistent throughout our remaining games,” Del Rosario said.   Carlo Lastimosa has been the only consistent performer for the Blazers. But relying too much on the Cagayan de Oro native had, on several times, led to St. Benilde’s downfall.   The Chiefs are looking to bounce back from a 58-72 loss to the on-again, off-again Knights last Monday.   Except for Isaiah Ciriacruz who finished with 19 points, the Chiefs groped for form.   The Cardinals scored 17 points in the last 3:36 to subdue the Knights and coach Chito Victolero hopes his team will continue their explosive form against the Generals, who have yet to win a game in the second round.   “We need to play aggressive from start to finish,” said Victolero.