Lazarte Leads Mapua's Dominant Win Over San Sebastian in NCAA 101
After suffering their first loss in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament, the defending champions, Mapua University, demonstrated their resilience and prowess, overwhelming San Sebastian College-Recoletos with a 70-41 victory at the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Sunday. This win secured their second-place finish in Group A.
The Cardinals were reeling from a disappointing 65-75 defeat to the surprise Group A leader, Perpetual Altas, the previous Wednesday. However, they quickly bounced back, showcasing their championship caliber skills.
Mapua's lead was already 54-43 at the start of the final quarter. They then stepped up their defensive game, smothering San Sebastian's offense and allowing them only six points in the last 10 minutes, with a poor shooting performance of 3-of-15.
The Cardinals' lead expanded to a staggering 21 points late in the game, securing their most lopsided win of the season. Former UST Growling Tiger, Ivan Lazarte, led the charge with 14 points, while rookie Earl Sapasap contributed 11 points.
JC Recto nearly achieved a double-double with 8 points and 7 rebounds, and Yam Concepcion and Mark Igliane each added 7 points in a well-rounded scoring effort.
Mapua now focuses on a crucial upcoming match against San Beda in five days. Meanwhile, Ian Cuajao, who had a breakout performance with 25 points in San Sebastian's 100-94 overtime win over Lyceum last Friday, once again led the Stags with 14 points. Reggz Gabat added 10 points in the loss.
The 29-point rout is the largest winning margin so far this season.
San Sebastian will look to regroup as they face Jose Rizal University to start their crossover round campaign.
Scores:
Mapua: 70 (Lazarte 14, Sapasap 11, Recto 8, Concepcion 7, Igliane 7, Nitura 6, Escamis 4, Delos Reyes 4, Cuenco 4, Gulapa 3, Callangan 2, Gonzales 0, Ryan 0, Abdulla 0, Reyes 0)
San Sebastian: 49 (Cuajao 14, Gabat 10, Lumanag 7, Ricio 6, Segovia 5, Dela Rama 4, Castor 2, Felebrico 1, Dimaunahan 0, Velasco 0, Nepacena 0, Gomez de Liaño 0)
Quarter Scores: 19-17, 38-28, 54-43, 70-49
