Mapua pulled away in the second quarter to beat College of Saint Benilde, 84-65, and seize solo third place in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Tuesday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
Brian Lacap, making his second straight start after the Cardinals lost two in a row, scored a game-high 22 points on an 8-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
“So totoo lang, medyo pressure siya,” said Lacap, who also started in Mapua’s 95-83 victory over University of Perpetual Help System Dalta before the Holy Week break.
“Kapag first time, good start ka para mahawa ang bench,” he added.
The victory, the fifth in seven games, gave the Cardinals hope to secure one of the two outright Final Four berths.
Mapua trails joint first placers Letran and San Beda by a full game.
The Blazers, who have lost two straight, dropped to fourth spot with a 4-3 card. The Cardinals, who started the season at 3-0 before encountering a rough patch, drew huge games from Paolo Hernandez and Rence Nocum.
Hernandez added 17 points, seven boards, two steals and two assists, while Nocum was the other player who scored in twin digits with 14 points.
Lacap’s three-pointer at the 5:59 mark of the second period capped Mapua’s 15-0 run to shatter a 19-19 stalemate at the end of the first quarter.
With 12 treys, the Cardinals’ sustained their hot shooting from beyond the arc, as they dropped 16 triples in their previous win against the Altas.
“Nagpapasalamat ako nag-payoff ‘yung extra shooting sa practice,” said Lacap, who had a +32 efficiency rating.
Will Gozum posted his second straight double-double with 13 points while Miggy Corteza and AJ Benson chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, for CSB.