BY ABBY TORALBA
MAPUA University nipped Jose Rizal University 77-74 yesterday and finished its eliminations campaign as the No. 1 seed in the Final Four of the 99th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.
Clint Escamis came alive when it mattered the most for the Cardinals with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists, while veteran big man Warren Bonifacio finished with 17 markers and five boards.
Marc Cuenco and JC Recto also had 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Mapua, which finished with a 15-3 mark.
With the loss, the Heavy Bombers kissed their semifinals hopes goodbye with a 10-8 slate in a tie with Perpetual Help.
“Una sa lahat maraming salamat sa Panginoon at ibinigay niya sa amin itong panalo na ito.
Ang sabi ko nga, iyong JRU kilalang-kilala natin iyan,” Cards coach Randy Alcantara said.
“Ang motivation namin is makabawi kami sa loss (noon) sa first round na natalo but ang sabi ko nga ito na iyong chance natin na makabawi doon sa JRU,” he added.
Top seed Mapua will take on No. 4 College of St. Benilde with a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four, while second seed Lyceum, also armed with a win-once incentive, will battle third-ranked San Beda University.
Agem Miranda and Guiab both registered 16 points for JRU, while graduating seniors Ry Dela Rosa and JL Delos Santos combined for 17 markers.
Earlier, Emilio Aguinaldo College, led by graduating big man Nat Cosejo, completed a season sweep of the Blazers with a 77-69 win to wrap up its season.
In his swan song for the Generals, Nat Cosejo delivered a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists and a steal, while fellow graduating teammates JP Maguliano and Ralph Robin finished with 12 and six markers, respectively.
EAC finished with a 9-9 slate, while the Blazers ended the eliminations with a 11-7 record.
