Lawrence Mangubat and Chris Hubilla might be the bigger names on the JRU Heavy Bombers‘ roster, but when the game came down to the final possession, it was Sean Salvador who made sure the team walked away with the win.
Salvador drilled the go-ahead triple with 2.2 seconds left as JRU escaped the Mapua Cardinals, 65-64, to open its NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament campaign on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
JRU Caps of Wild Fourth Quarter
The finish capped a fourth quarter that swung several times. Mapua took control early in the period when Marc Cuenco’s layup pushed the lead to 59-55. Hubilla, dealing with foul trouble throughout, had a chance to trim the gap but split a pair of free throws, leaving Mapua up 59-56 with under five minutes to go. He never found his footing after that, fouling out on a blocking call against Lance Nitura with 2:29 remaining.
Mapua still held a 64-62 edge with 18.7 seconds left when Cyrus Nitura stepped to the line with a chance to seal it, but missed both free throws. JRU made the Cardinals pay immediately — Mangubat found Salvador open in the corner, and Salvador calmly buried the three for a 65-64 lead. Mapua got one more look when Lance Nitura’s potential game-winner rattled out, and the Bombers survived.
Salvador credited the setup as much as the shot itself. “Actually yong last play, kay Mangubat talaga yon. Pero yon nga, grabe yong double sa kanya, tatlong tao, apat na tao, kaya good assist din kay Mangubat na pinasa niya sa corner sa akin,” he said. “Nagtiwala lang ako sa sarili ko. Breaks of the game rin. Naniwala lang ako kay Lord na yong pasa sa akin ni Mangubat, sabi ko ‘palagi ko ‘to pinapractice sa practice’ … and nadadala naman sa loob ng court.”
Former Cardinal Step Up
Mangubat, making his Bombers debut alongside Hubilla after completing their one-year residency following last year’s transfer from Mapua, led all scorers with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. Allan Laurenaria added a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Hubilla finished with a quiet 5 points on 1-for-5 shooting with 5 rebounds in 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
JRU struggled to find any shooting rhythm, converting just 19 of 73 field goal attempts for 26.0 percent, though the Bombers made up ground at the line, hitting 19 of 26 free throws for 73.1 percent. Mapua shot better from the field at 22-for-52, but stumbled badly at the stripe, going just 16-for-38.
The win keeps JRU’s momentum rolling after a rough Season 101, when the Bombers finished 6-7 before falling to top-seeded Perpetual Help Altas in the quarterfinals. Since then, JRU has swept all 10 games to win the 2026 University Belt Basketball Cup and added another title at the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup, sweeping defending NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions in the process.
JRU goes for win number two against San Beda on Friday, September 18, at 3 p.m., still at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. Mapua gets a week to regroup before facing Lyceum of the Philippines on Monday, September 21, at 3 p.m. at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
