CARDINALS SOAR PAST PIRATES

MANILA, Philippines -- The Mapua Cardinals escaped the Lyceum Pirates, 78-73, to return to the win column in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The Cardinals clawed out of a double-digit hole in the first quarter before erecting an 11 point advantage of their own, which they also lost.

But the Cardinals did enough to grab the crucial victory that went down the wire.

Yam Concepcion powered Mapua with 15 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block, while JC Recto had 14 markers, 12 boards, four pilfers and three dimes.

After trailing by 13 points early, the Cardinals found their rhythm and took an 11-point lead, 54-43, in the third quarter after a pair of free throws by Clint Escamis.

Mapua held a 61-52 lead late in the third quarter after a split from the line by Cyrus Nitura.

But with Jonathan Daileg leading the charge, the Pirates unleashed 13 straight points to take the lead, 65-61, with 7:15 remaining.

The two teams then traded leads down the stretch, before Mapua took a 76-71 lead after a jumper by Cyril Gonzales.

Joshua Moralejo, though, made it a three-point cushion after a jumper of his own, 73-76, with about 22 seconds left.

A costly turnover by Concepcion gave Lyceum a final chance to tie things up.

Daileg the. tried to shoot a triple, but the ball was stripped by Gonzales.

After fouls to give, Gonzales was sent to the line and iced the game with a pair of freebies with 3.9 seconds left.

Cyrus Cuenco backstopped Mapua with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Cyrus Nitura had 10 points. Escamis struggled with a 2-of-10 shooting but finished with seven points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Daileg paced Lyceum with 18 points while Renz Villegas chipped in 16.

The Cardinals rose to a 5-5 win-loss record while Lyceum dropped to 2-8.

2025-11-07T07:31:23Z