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KELVIN Dela Peña was not his usual self.

Thankfully for the Cardinals, the rest of his teammates were.

Led by 6’3� power forward Neil Pascual, host Mapua Institute of Technology soared past San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 86-80, in the 84th National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament last July 2, 2008 at the Pasay (formerly Cuneta) Astrodome.

“San Sebastian is really tough because it has a good frontline and great shooters. We just worked hard to outplay them,� said the veteran Pascual, who led the Cardinals with 19 points, eight boards and six assists. “After we lost against San Beda, we promised ourselves that we will win our next game.�

With the count tied at 25 at the end of first quarter, Pascual and rookie center Mark Sarangay exploited the holes in the Stag defense to spark the Cardinals’ 24-12 run in the second quarter, which gave them a sizeable 49-37 halftime edge.

San Sebastian relied heavily on veteran Jim Viray, who led the Stags with 21 points on 4-of-6 shooting beyond the arc. Viray’s trey at the 5:06 mark of the third quarter helped narrow what was an 18-point gap to just two, 58-56.

Mapua rookie playmaker Allan Mangahas, who poured in 15 points, and Pascual responded to the San Sebastian run with a 10-0 blast under the three-minute mark of the penultimate quarter to help the Intramuros-based outfit post a 68-56 lead.

The Cardinals sustained the pressure in the fourth period and forced the Golden Stags to take hurried shots despite the absence of Dela Peña, who fouled out with under four minutes left in the contest.

“We’re still not that aggressive. But we encouraged the players to believe in themselves and work hard,” said Mapua coach Leo Isaac. “We are not satisfied with this victory, but I’m sure my players will work for it.â€?

Dela Peña, the last year’s MVP, finished with only nine points. Teammate Ian Mazo picked up the slack with 16 points, while TG Guillermo and Jonathan Banal had eight points apiece.

The Cardinals improved their record to 1-1, while the Golden Stags fell to the cellar with a 0-2 card.

Individual Scores:

MIT 86 – N. Pascual 19, Mangahas 15, Mazo 10, Sarangay 10, Dela Peña 9, Guillermo 8, Banal 8, Soriano 3, J. Pascual 2, Acosta 2, Cornejo 0.

SSC-R 80 – Viray 21, Bulawan 17, Ballesteros 13, Aquino 8, Delgado 6, Raymundo 6, del Rio 5, Maconocido 2, Najorda 2, Semira 0.

Quarter Scores: 25-25; 49-37; 68-56; 86-80

Tags: Jim_Viray, Kelvin-dela-Pena, Mapua-Cardinals, NCAA-Season-84, News, Petron, San-Sebastian-Stags

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