Ivan Lazarte and Earl Sapasap proved to be the unlikely heroes as Mapua University regained its winning form by beating San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 70-49, in the NCAA Season 101 on Sunday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
The transferees picked up the slack as usual suspects Clint Escamis, Cyril Gonzales, and Cyrus Cuenco all went cold on offense in the game that allowed the defending champions to bounce back from a shock loss to Perpetual last Wednesday.
With the victory, the Cardinals improved to 3-1 to Group A while the Golden Stags fell to a 1-3 slate.
Lazarte, who played two seasons with UST in the UAAP, led Mapua with 14 points, three rebounds, and one steal, while Sapasap churned out 11 markers, seven boards, and three dimes as they made sure to get Mapua back on track.
Lazarte buried a triple that stretched Mapua’s lead to 48-34 early in the third quarter, as the Cardinals managed to preserve a 54-43 cushion heading into the final frame despite Escamis being limited to just two points and both Gonzales and Cuenco going scoreless through three periods.
Cuenco converted his first field goal before Sapasap buried back-to-back layups that saw Mapua take a comfortable 62-47 cushion on the way to the victory.
Escamis and Cuenco finished with four points apiece while Gonzales went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting, but head coach Randy Alcantara said he isn’t worried about his stars’ off night.
"Kahit less than 10 [points] si Clint, nakita naman natin na nag-facilitate, nag-run ng play, hinanap 'yung mas libreng kakampi niya and same with Gonzales," Alcantara said.
"Yung maturity and leadership, 'yun ang dapat na madala this season. Hindi namin kailangan ng 30 points or 20 points si Escamis, kailangan team effort talaga."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
