The Mapua Cardinals’ Yam Concepcion finally got to play without looking over his shoulder at the referee, and the Arellano Chiefs paid the price for it. With Concepcion leading the way, the Cardinals brought the previously unbeaten Chiefs back down to earth, 69-55, to open the crossover round of the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Concepcion had been limited by foul trouble in three of Mapua’s last five games, but freed from that burden against Arellano, he made his presence felt everywhere on the floor, posting a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds to go with 4 steals and 5 blocks. The win extends Mapua’s turnaround to two straight after an 0-3 start, pushing the Cardinals to 2-3, while Arellano’s four-game winning streak to close Group B came to an end, dropping the Chiefs to 4-1.
“Si Yam, siya ‘yong leader ko sa court and at the same time, siya ‘yong nag-a-anchor sa amin sa depensa. For the last two games, medyo nafo-foul out siya, and I reminded him about the calmness, frustrations, and the composure. I think ‘yong quote na ‘yon nakatulong kay Yam,” said Mapua coach Chito Victolero. “I want to give credit to the whole team. They are buying in, and they embraced the defensive mentality of this team.”
Mapua Turns Up the Defense
The Cardinals’ defensive mentality defined the game. After a tight first half, Mapua’s defense clamped down hard on Arellano’s usually potent offense, holding the Chiefs to just seven points in the third quarter alone and building a 53-44 lead heading into the fourth.
Arellano made one final push to keep its streak alive, with King Vinoy converting a layup to cut the deficit to five, 55-50. Mapua answered immediately, firing back with a 9-2 run capped by Lance Nitura’s layup to restore a double-digit cushion at 64-52 with more than five minutes left. Tempers flared midway through the fourth when Mapua’s Marcus Nitura was ejected after arguing a traveling call following his eurostep attempt, but the disruption did nothing to slow the Cardinals down. Mapua kept Arellano’s main gunners, T-Mc Ongotan and Vinoy, contained the rest of the way, cashed in on timely offensive rebounds, and watched Marc Cuenco bury a triple in the final minutes to put the result out of reach.
Ian Lazarte backed up Concepcion with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Lance Nitura added 9 points and 5 boards. Arellano’s usual engines sputtered badly in the loss—Ongotan, who’d been red-hot through the early stretch of the season, managed just 7 points on 2-of-11 shooting, while Vinoy finished with 2 points on 1-of-7. Renzo Abiera led the Chiefs with 13 points, followed by Yuan Camay with 10.
Both teams return to action Tuesday, October 6, at the same venue. Mapua looks to build on its momentum against the EAC Generals at 5:00 p.m., while Arellano aims to bounce back against the JRU Heavy Bombers at 3:00 p.m.
