Paolo Hernandez and Jeric Pido came up clutch for Mapua University as they stunned higher-ranked Lyceum of the Philippines University, 62–59, in NCAA Season 98 on Sunday.
Pido led the way with 11 points while three other Cardinals finished with 10 points apiece, including team captain Warren Bonifacio, who also grabbed 14 rebounds for a double-double.
Hernandez finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists for Mapua, which outdueled Lyceum in the fourth quarter, 20-11.
A huge three-pointer from Rence Nocum tried things up at 53-all before a Hernandez one-handed floater over Enzo Navarro in the final 2:30 gave the Cardinals a slim 57-55 cushion.
Hernandez then completed his two free throws and Bonifacio sank a long jumper, sending Mapua to a 60-55 lead with 32.4 ticks left.
But Mclaude Guadaña nailed a quick triple, 60-58, but he and Enoch Valdez missed out on their next attempts as Mapua bagged its second win.
Pido was also crucial on that fourth quarter run, notching four points from the charity stripe.
For the first time this season, Mapua, last season’s finalist, will bag back-to-back wins to improve to 2-8 while Lyceum, which was in second place in the standings, dropped to 7-3.
Lyceum and Mapua had good runs in the first half with Mapua being able to establish an eight-point lead, 28-20, with the Cardinals unleashing a 14-2 run to open the second. But a 9-2 closing rampage from the Pirates saw them trailing by just one at the turn, 30-29.
Guadaña led that stretch, where the sophomore gunner knocked down five points to fuel Lyceum.
He finished with a game-high 15 points to lead LPU.
The scores:
Mapua 62 - Pido 11, Nocum 10, Bonifacio 10, Garcia 10, Hernandez 7, Mercado 4, Soriano 4, Cuenco 2, Parinas 2, Agustin 2, Salenga 0, Igliane 0, Lacap 0.
Lyceum 59 - Guadaña 15, Larupay 8, Umali 7, Bravo 6, Cunanan 6, Barba 4, Navarro 4, Montaño 4, Villegas 3, Valdez 2, Peñafiel 0, Omandac 0.
Quarters: 12-18, 30-29, 42-48, 62-59.
—JMB, GMA News
