MAPUA University eked out a 58-55 decision over defending champion San Beda University yesterday in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Rookie Chris Hubilla spearheaded the Cardinals with nearly a double-double output of 17 points and nine rebounds while Marc Cuenco, who sank crucial shots down the stretch, added 11 markers, five boards and three assists.

With the victory, Mapua solidified its grip of second with a 10-3 card while San Beda sat in third with an 8-5 slate.

“Sa San Beda talagang, alam na natin na ganoon na ang magiging laban, close lagi and maganda lang sa mga players ko ay iyong hustle nga doon kay (Yukien) Andrada so iyon iyong pinaka-key kasi siguro last time Andrada was 20-plus lagi,” Cards coach Randy Alcantara said. “So, this time naka-nine points lang.

“Siguro iyon na iyong pinaka-magandang nagawa namin, sa depensa,” he added.

Sajonia and Jomel Puno led San Beda with 12 and 11 markers, respectively; ndrada finished with nine points along with five boards while Bismark Lino, who previously sparked for the Red Lions, only had six markers after he exited the game with a disqualifying foul late in the third frame.

Earlier, big man Allen Liwag had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to propel College of St. Benilde to a lopsided 80-65 drubbing of Jose Rizal University 80-65.

Liwag shone with another stellar outing for the Taft-based crew while Ian Torres and Justine Sanchez delivered 16 and 10 markers, respectively, as the Blazers bolstered their Final Four bid after picking up their 10th victory of the season.

The Blazers remained on top with a 10-2 card.

“Kami naman we play naman every team the same way, that’s how we treat NCAA. We respect every team. JRU’s a good team, they’re tough. They always play every team close,” CSB strategist Charles Tiu said.

“They had a few close games na natalo lang sa dulo so we wanted to make sure that we had some breathing room and just play our game, focus on ourselves and try to get better every game and thankfully they’ve played pretty well today.”

AFTER a dangerous incident, Lyceum ace JM Bravo is now in a better condition after he was cleared medically and is set to be discharged today from the hospital.

The Pirates yesterday gave an update on Bravo’s situation after he was admitted to Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan.

Bravo, in the latter part of the Lyceum-Arellano match up last Saturday at The Arena in San Juan, fell unconscious after a collision against Renz Abiera where the former got hit in the head.

The 6-foot-3 cager was then taken to the hospital to go through a CT scan and be in concussion protocol after the life-threatening accident that sent chills and fears in the cage community.

“Great news, Lyceans! John Mathew Bravo has cleared his CT scans and neurological assessment! He’s set to be discharged from Cardinal Santos Hospital tomorrow and will be back on the court soon,” the school said on its social media account.

“Let’s keep cheering him on as he makes his return to the game.”

The Pirates lost to the Chefs 86-91 that dropped them to 6-6.

Bravo exited the duel as the second-best leading scorer for the Pirates with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.

He also missed seven matches in the first-round eliminations due to a spinal injury.

MAPUA takes on Letran while San Beda battles Perpetual Help today as action further heats up in the second round of the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Cardinals, armed with an 8-3 card for second, clash with the Knights at 2:30 p.m. in a match dubbed the “Battle of Intramuros” while the Red Lions, running third with a 7-4 slate, take on the Altas at noon.

Last Tuesday, the Cardinals climbed to solo second behind St Benilde after scoring an 82-79 win over the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals while the Knights absorbed a 61-71 defeat inflicted by the Altas five days ago.

John Jabonete back, who served a one-game suspension after elbowing Karl De Jesus of JRU last Sunday, will return to action for Mapua.

But the Cardinals are expected to miss Marc Igliane, who was ejected for a disqualifying foul on EAC’s Jhearald Manacho.

Letran will go into the match without rookie Jimboy Estrada, who was ejected after being slapped two technical fouls against Perpetual.

Estrada, the leading scorer for the Knights with 15.36 points and a candidate for the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, appealed his suspension but was turned down.

The first match featuring San Beda coach Yuri Escueta and Perpetual counterpart Olsen Racela who are cousins will see the Red Lions out to regain their winning ways and the Altas going for their second straight win.

Last Tuesday, the Red Lions fell short against gutsy Lyceum 62-64 while the Altas toppled Letran over the weekend.

San Beda will count on Bismarck Lina, Yukien Andrada and Jomel Puno against the Altas’ Christian Pagaran, Mark Gojo Cruz and Cedrick Abis.

COLLEGE of St. Benilde whipped Arellano University 100-77 yesterday to boost its hold on the top spot in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Guard Gab Cometa sizzled with 23 points for the Blazers while forward Justine Sanchez also shone with a double-double of 14 markers and 10 rebounds.

Big man Allen Liwag made key contributions for the Taft-based crew’s third consecutive triumph with 12 points, six boards and five assists while Jhomel Ancheta and Ian Torres added eight markers each as CSB rose to 9-2.

“I really got on them, you know, we just have to do a better job taking care of the ball. We haven’t been too smart with it so, you know, today we made some adjustments,” Blazers coach Charles Tiu said. “I’ve been harping on the turnovers for weeks now so I’m glad that finally we had one game na medyo decent iyong turnovers namin.

“We keep telling them to focus on our goal, which is obviously right now to finish number 1 in the elimination round. We’ve seen so many upsets in the NCAA. It’s been really a great season,” he added.

CBS only had 11 turnovers compared to 21 when it first met the Chiefs in a 71-73 loss last Oct. 4.

In the other game, San Sebastian College nipped Jose Rizal University 87-85 to snap an eight-game losing skid.

Paeng Are starred for the Golden Stags with 28 points, five rebounds, three dimes and a steal while Ameer Aguilar, who drained a go-ahead three-pointer, finished with 13 markers and two boards.

Raymart Escobido and Reggz Gabat also provided a big lift with 17 and 11 markers, respectively, as San Sebastian improved to 3-8, the same record of the Heavy Bombers.

Raymundo and Shawn Argente paced the Heavy Bombers, who absorbed their third consecutive defeat, with 20 apiece while Guiab added 17 markers.

MARC Cuenco banged in the game-winning three-pointer as Mapua University nipped Emilio Aguinaldo College 82-79 yesterday and seized solo second in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Cuenco drained the triple in the final 15 seconds that prolled the Cardinals to their third straight win and an 8-2 mark overall.

Reigning MVP Clint Escamis led Mapua with 23 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block while Cuenco dished out 16 markers, six boards and three dimes.

Rookie Chris Hubilla and Lawrence Hubilla added 16 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Cardinals.

 “It’s another pahirapan (na game), pahirapan na naman. Every game naman ine-expect namin na talagang itong game na ito mahirap manalo so ni-ready lang namin at nag-stick sa madalas namin ginagawa. Buti na lang nag-take charge iyong mga veterans like Clint and Marc,” Mapua coach Randy Alcantara said. “First round pa lang, nakita naman natin talaga na puwede naman talagang mag-take charge kahit sino sa kanila.

“Even the rookies, sabi nga, tiwala naman ako doon, luckily na-shoot niya (Cuenco) iyong last shot niya at tsaka iyong crucial free throws,” he added.

Earlier, Lyceum stunned defending champion San Beda Red Lions 64-62 behind the endgame exploits of Vincent Cunanan.

Cunanan delivered 11 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal but none bigger than two straight treys in the clutch while Gyle Montano fired 12 markers, two steals and two boards for the Pirates who rose to 6-5.

“The key is the willingness, and you know naman, nakita naman natin talagang ibinibigay talaga lahat ng players naming,” Lyceum strategist Gilbert Malabanan said. “Even the first group, the second group and the third group talagang give their best, they give their effort and they’re aggressive inside the court.”

Harvey Pagsanjan led the EAC, which slipped to 5-6, with 17 points, while King Gurtiza and Guil Quinal dropped 14 and 10 markers, respectively.

Big men Bismarck Lina and Yukien Andrada paced the Red Lions, who dropped to 7-4, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

MOVE closer to the leader.

That’s what defending champion San Beda University and Mapua University intend to do when they clash against separate foes today in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

The Red Lions face the Lyceum Pirates at 11 a.m. before the Cardinals battle the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals at 2:30 p.m.

San Beda and Mapua have identical 7-3 marks while the Pirates and Generals are tied with 5-5 cards–all looking to bolster their Final Four bids.

The Lions mauled the Arellano University Chiefs 79-65, and the Cardinals blasted the Jose Rizal University Bombers 75-71 last Saturday that kept them in joint second with 7-3 records. Another victory would push them half a game behind the College of St. Benilde Blazers (8-2).

In those wins, San Beda unleashed bull-strong Bismarck Lina while the Cards unveiled Yam Concepcion.

The 6-foot-5 Lina, back from an ACL injury that sidelined him for nine months, banged in 20 points and seven boards while Concepcion was equally impressive for Mapua with a career-high 19 points on top of eight boards and five blocks, another career-best.

“He has an inside presence na malaking bagay especially for our shooters,” said San Beda coach Yuri Escueta of Lina.

EAC cruised past Perpetual 78-70 last Friday for its second striaght victory. King Gurtiza, Wilmar Oftana and Gelo Loristo will be counted upon anew by the Generals to deliver.

COLLEGE of St. Benilde trounced San Sebastian College 91-85 yesterday to bolster its hold on the lead in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Big man Allen Liwag stepped up with 18 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block for the Blazers while Ian Torres and Matthew Oli added 13 and 12 markers, respectively.

Tony Ynot sat out CSB’s opening game of the second round after suffering an ankle injury last week.

With the result, the Blazers rose to 8-2 while the Golden Stags fell to 2-8.

“We wanna give the other guys the chance because iyon nga Tony is not playing and then obviously itong Baste, they like to go in their zone, there’s a lot of change in defense,” CSB coach Charles Tiu said. “I wanted to put up some of shooters in. Give guys a chance. So far, a lot of them were able to deliver.”

Earlier, Christian Pagaran shone as Perpetual Help downed Letran 71-61 to snap a four-game losing skid.

Pagaran finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block while rookie Mark Gojo Cruz fired 15 markers, six boards, two dimes and a swat as Perpetual improved to 5-6.

Cedrick Abis and Shawn Orgo also combined for 16 points for the Las Pinas-based crew which handed Letran its third consecutive loss.

Jimboy Estrada barely missed a triple-double of 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Knights.

He was tossed out after receiving his second technical foul with less than three minutes to go. That ejection should be costly for Estrada, who was disqualified for any individual awards for his lapse of judgment.

Paeng Are’s 29-point performance along with Lauren Gabat’s 21 markers went for naught for San Sebastian.

LETRAN guns for solo second when it takes on Lyceum today as the second round of the 100th NCAA basketball tournament comes off the wraps at The Arena in San Juan.

The match is set at noon before Perpetual Help tackles Emilio Aguinaldo College at 2:30 p.m.

The Knights subdued the Pirates 78-66 last Saturday that raised their card to 6-3 in a three-way logjam with the defending champions San Beda Red Lions and Mapua Cardinals just behind pacesetter College of St. Benilde (7-2).

Letran coach Allen Ricardo said duels in the second round will be crucial and insisted the team “needs to have a sense of urgency when playing.”

Big man Pao Javillonar, Kevin Santos and Jimboy Estrada will be relied upon by the Knights to deliver.

Aiming for revenge, the Pirates will bank on John Barba, Mclaude Guadana and Renz Villagas.

The Altas, Generals and Lyceum are also locked in a standoff with 4-5 records.

“Every game is important. Every game is vital so we need to prepare hard each game. So, ito nga iyong sasabihin ko, we need to be excited for the second round kasi dito na lalabas iyong months of preparation namin for this season,” EAC strategist Jerson Cabiltes said.

“If we could minimize our turnovers, control the rebounding, make our free throws especially, good shooting, we’re gonna be good in the second round.”

STAY sharp and focused.

That’s what College of St. Benilde intends to do in the second round of the 100th NCAA basketball tournament.

The Blazers emerged on top after nine games with a 7-2 mark, but coach Charles Tiu insisted they can only get better.

“We’re happy that we’re No. 1 but obviously we would have wanted a bit more breathing room kasi dikit-dikit lahat ng teams sa standings. We definitely want to get a twice-to-beat advantage sa Final Four,” Tiu said. “(We) still have to clean up the turnovers, that’s our number concern.

“Hopefully, we can get healthy a bit because we’re dealing with some other injuries and sickness. Ang daming nagkakasakit sa amin but hopefully the guys can recover in time for our next game,” he added.

Tiu said he wants more from the Blazers in the second half of the season.

CSB fell to the Letran Knights and Arellano Chiefs in the first round.

“I think it’s still very shaky, to be honest. I would have wanted to end with one loss or zero losses if possible. Maybe we’re there every game, even in our losses, medyo nag-collapse lang kami in the end,” Tiu said. “So, I mean that’s my parang ‘what if,’ ‘di ba? We could have been easily 9-0 but it’s part of basketball, we just have to work harder and try to get better in the next round.

“I think they know that we’ve not been playing well. We always remind them (that despite being) No. 1, we have to be humble because they haven’t accomplished anything talaga. I think they’ll be focused naman. It’s just a matter of doing what we want and following our game plan. Minsan nawawala-wala kasi sa composure but it’s something that we continue to build on, especially for the next round.”

Tiu said the Blazers have to work doubly hard if they want to win it all.

“Definitely, we have to continue to work. Again, we haven’t accomplished anything. We could easily collapse in the next round so we have to make sure we stay sharp because the second round is where it matters,” he said. “We just have to make adjustments and just be better when we play the other teams.”