Mapua University got its revenge on Lyceum of the Philippines University, eking out a 71-68 victory in their final elimination-round assignment to gain momentum heading into their NCAA Season 102 Seniors Basketball play-in showdown on Monday at the Philsports Arena.

The Cardinals avenged their heartbreaking 88-87 loss to the Pirates in their first-round encounter last September 22, giving them a timely confidence boost ahead of their Thursday rematch.

Both teams, however, opted to keep several key players on the sidelines as they prepared for their upcoming postseason encounter.

Mapua head coach Chito Victolero sat out Marc Cuenco, Cyrus Nitura, and Ivan Lazarte, while Lyceum mentor Jamike Jarin gave Matthew Rubico limited playing time. Renz Villegas and MClaude Guadana, meanwhile, did not see action for the Pirates.

Mapua finished the preliminary round with a 7-6 record, earning a twice-to-beat advantage against Lyceum, which wound up fifth in Group A with a 4-9 slate.

For Kyle Timbol, the victory was crucial in building the team’s confidence before their upcoming postseason battle.

“Sa’min, momentum talaga ‘to kasi kailangan namin ‘yong confidence namin heading to the play-in games,” said Timbol. “Malaking experience ‘to sa’min kung madadala namin to nang maayos.”

The Cardinals had to withstand a late Lyceum push, with the Pirates trimming their deficit to just one, 66-65.

Timbol responded with a clutch triple to restore Mapua’s four-point cushion, 69-65, with 3:32 remaining.

Carl Nocum answered from beyond the arc for Lyceum, but Edward Ryan came through with a jumper to keep the Cardinals ahead, 71-68, with 2:46 left.

Neither side could add to the scoreboard in the closing minutes, although the Pirates had an opportunity to force overtime.

Timbol went to the free-throw line with less than five seconds remaining but missed both attempts. Lyceum, however, failed to capitalize as Jasper Matienzo lost possession of the ball, effectively ending the Pirates’ comeback hopes.

Timbol led Mapua with 20 points and three rebounds, while Jamal Diaz added 13 points. Russell Liwanag chipped in a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards.

Nocum finished with 14 points for Lyceum, but Khen Caduyac paced the Pirates with 17.

The Scores:

Mapua 71 – Timbol 20, Diaz 13, Liwanag 12, Razon 9, Ryan 6, Concepcion 5, Mendoza 4, L. Nitura 2, Igliane 0, Bo 0, Dones 0, Reyes 0, Bernabe 0

Lyceum 68 – Caduyac 17, Nocum 14, Manuel 8, Cardinas 8, Ondoa 6, Penafiel 6, Fuentes 3, Rubico 2, Pallingayan 2, Matienzo 2, Panelo 0, Aurigue 0

Quarterscores: 30-20, 43-37, 57-52, 71-68

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Jacob Cortez made his much-awaited return to the court, but it was not enough to prevent De La Salle University from suffering a costly defeat as National University moved within one win of securing its fifth consecutive Final Four appearance in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.

After missing La Salle’s back-to-back victories over the University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University, Cortez returned to action against the Bulldogs on Sunday, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists in 18:25 minutes of play.

However, the Green Archers ultimately fell short, 80-84, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The defeat left La Salle alone in fourth place with a 6-5 record, adding pressure to its remaining elimination-round assignments.

Despite the setback, Cortez stressed the importance of moving forward, with the Green Archers still having plenty to play for.

“I feel like both teams played well,” said Cortez. “NU just played better. For me, I’m glad to be back. Though I got hurt again in the fourth quarter, I have one week to recover, and we, as a team, have one week to prepare for our next matchup against Adamson. We’re just gonna take it game-by-game now.

“Like I said before, every game is crucial, and NU did a good job today.”

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

The two-time collegiate champion acknowledged that La Salle could have been more cohesive defensively, particularly after holding NU to just 11 points in the third quarter.

However, he also recognized the Bulldogs’ ability to adjust to the Green Archers’ defensive schemes and capitalize on crucial opportunities down the stretch.

After trailing 70-77, La Salle mounted a late comeback to take an 80-79 lead behind consecutive baskets from Cortez, Earl Abadam, and Doy Dungo.

However, the Green Archers surrendered a go-ahead three-pointer to Paul Francisco before failing to convert on their ensuing possessions. PJ Palacielo then put the game away with two free throws with under five seconds remaining.

“It’s just that we gotta start playing from the first quarter,” said Cortez.

“We made a lot of lapses in the first half. We could have played better in the first half, like how we played in the third quarter. It’s just about locking in as a team. Then again, we have one week to figure things out to fix our sense of urgency.”

La Salle will close out its elimination-round campaign against Adamson University next Sunday before taking on the University of the Philippines on November 22 and Far Eastern University on November 28.

Cortez expects another difficult challenge against the Soaring Falcons, whom he described as the league’s “best defensive team.”

Having lost to all three remaining opponents in the first round, the Green Archers will be out for redemption while fighting to secure a place in this year’s Final Four.

The urgency is especially high for Cortez, who is helping lead La Salle’s bid for its first back-to-back championships since Season 64.

With only three elimination-round games left, the two-time champion knows that his collegiate career could be on the line if the Green Archers fail to make the Final Four.

“Last three games — it could be my last three games if we don’t make the Final Four. We’re just gonna take it day-by-day and game-by-game.”

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Amiel Acido embraced his role as the go-to guy, delivering in the clutch to power the University of Santo Tomas past Far Eastern University, 86-85, and revive the Growling Tigers’ Final Four hopes in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

The third-year forward knocked down the big shots down the stretch to snap UST’s three-game losing streak and secure its first victory of the second round. The Growling Tigers improved to 5-6, tying the Ateneo Blue Eagles for fifth and sixth place in the standings.

The win also brought UST within a game of third- and fourth-running FEU and De La Salle University, which earlier fell to National University.

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

“These two guys, Amiel and Landyn, they played their hearts out. Mga shooter eh, minsan ang problema ko pa sa kanila they don’t want to shoot enough. Amiel, I’m just telling him to shoot; he should have a minimum of eight three-point shots per game, pero ayaw eh, masyadong mabait pero okay lang,” said UST assistant coach Peter Martin.

With the Growling Tigers clinging to a one-point lead, Acido came up with a crucial three-pointer. Cabs Cabonillas answered with a triple of his own, however, keeping the Tamaraws within striking distance at 83-82 with 1:32 remaining.

Acido was not done yet, drilling another shot from beyond the arc to extend UST’s lead to 86-82 with 1:12 left.

FEU had four more opportunities to respond from long range but missed all four attempts before Jorick Bautista finally connected at the buzzer. His triple, however, came too late to save the Tamaraws.

Acido finished with 23 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting from the field, alongside three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

One-and-done guard Landyn Jumawan also delivered a breakout performance with 18 points, including four three-pointers, while Mark Llemit chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Growling Tigers also completed a season sweep of the Tamaraws, having won their first-round encounter, 81-69, behind a strong second-half surge.

UST will look to build on its momentum when it faces the University of the East on Wednesday, still at the Big Dome. The Red Warriors are coming off their first victory in two years, which they secured on Saturday.

(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team

FEU, meanwhile, saw its two-game winning streak come to an end and will try to bounce back against the University of the Philippines on Saturday.

Bautista led the Tamaraws with 27 points, four assists, and two rebounds, but his effort went unrewarded.

Kirby Mongcopa added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Cabonillas also finished with 14 points.

Reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol endured a difficult shooting night, making just two of his 15 attempts from the field to finish with six points. He did, however, dish out eight assists.

The Scores:

UST (86) –Acido 23, Jumawan 18, Llemit 16, Cañete 9, Akowe 8, Porter 4, Chio 3, Buenaflor 3, Sevilla 2, Bucsit 0, Esteban 0.

FEU (85) – Bautista 27, Mongcopa 14, Cabonilas 14, Konateh 9, Gish 9, Pasaol 6, Daa 5, Burgos 1, Nakai 0, Felipe 0.

Quarterscores: 19-24, 43-45, 69-63, 86-85

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