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| c/o NCAA |
Needed an additional ten minutes, but Mapua ensured their title defense kicked off on a positive note with a 90-89 victory over Lyceum in the curtain-raiser for the 101st season of the NCAA at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
Appropriate for the golden anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila at the same venue, the Cardinals and Pirates battled it out to a 74-all deadlock in regulation, followed both teams scoring six points in the next five minutes.
Ultimately, a Cyrus Cuenco FT with 6.8 seconds remaining in overtime proved to be difference between the two sides, as Lyceum missed what would have a game-winner in their final possession.
Cuenco would finish with fourteen points, as he and JC Recto combined to step up with Clint Escamis limited due to foul trouble. Also tacking on sixteen points is Earl Sapasap.
Recto contributed sixteen points and added nine rebounds to lead the Cardinals. He shared to the media after the game, "I just let my instincts take over. Clint (Escamis) wasn’t there and just because he wasn’t there meant we should focus on him being out."
JC added, "All I thought about was doing whatever the coaches asked me to do."
Escamis was limited to eight points and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Renz Villegas led all scorers with his 23 points, but the Pirates drop to 0-1 to start off their campaign.
Both teams will resume action this weekend in San Juan, with Mapua facing Arellano on Saturday and Lyceum battling Perpetual on Sunday.
The scores:
MAPÚA 90 – Recto 16, Sapasap 16, Cuenco 14, Concepcion 13, Gonzales 11, Escamis 8, Igliane 8, Ryan 2, Gulapa 2, Nitura 0, Lazarte 0, Delos Reyes 0, Reyes 0, Abdulla 0
LYCEUM 89 – Villegas 23, Versoza 14, Daileg 13, Barba 8, Pallingayan 7, Gordon 5, Aurige 5, Aviles 5, Matienzo 4, Moralejo 3, Montaño 2, Peñafiel 0
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