Big man Mike Parala came out strong in crunch time, to help the still short-handed Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals buck a lethargic start on Thursday and pull-off a 64-55 come-from-behind win against College of Saint Benilde Blazers, in the 88th NCAA seniors division basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Big man Parala drilled in eight of his 12 points in the final canto to power the Cardinals to their first win after a narrow loss to the JRU Heavy Bombers on opening day. Parala also collected 15 rebounds – seven on the offensive end.

“It’s a great win and I’m proud of my players especially to Mike [Parala] for bringing out his best when it mattered most,” said Mapua head coach Chito Victolero. “It only shows my players are ready to compete.”


Josan Nimes had a game high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Mapua, while Andrew Estrella and Kenneth Ighalo contributed nine and eight markers, respectively.

Jumiel Chien hit a big-time three-pointer as the Cardinals took the lead, 52-51, in the last 3:26, but former San Sebastian Stag Roberto Bartolo scored on a floater to help the Blazers swipe the advantage back, 53-52 with three minutes remaining.

Parala then came out unstoppable when it mattered most, scoring eight straight points in the last two minutes  to hand the Cardinals a 60-55 lead, with just 83 seconds left in the game.

The Cardinals rode on Josan Nimes’ impressive 11-point first half performance, but Saint Benilde still had more firepower in the early going, lunging ahead 30-28 after the first half.

Nimes sank one of his two free throws to give Mapua a 45-40 lead at the end of third period, leading up to the frantic fourth quarter.

The Blazers, who led by Carlo Lastimosa’s 13 points, fell to 1-2 in the standings, suffering their second straight loss after winning their season debut against the Lyceum Pirates. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

MIT 64 - Nimes 21, Parala 12, Estrella 9, Ighalo 8, Chien 5, Abad 4, Cantos 3, Banal 2, Stevens 0.

CSB 55 - Lastimosa 13, Ongteco 8, Sinco 7, Tolentino 6, Grey 6, Tan 6, Bartolo 4, Taha 4, Carlos 1, Maconocido 0, Garcia 0, Romero 0, Deles 0, Altamirano 0.

Quarter scoring: 9-13, 28-30, 45-40, 64-55.


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