Cardinals end 33-year NCAA title dry spell, sweep Blazers

MANILA, Philippines -- The 33-year championship drought is over for Mapua.

The Cardinals are back on top of the NCAA world after sweeping the Benilde Blazers, 94-82, in Game 2 of their NCAA Season 100 championship clash Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The NCAA Season 100 title is their first since the Cardinals won back-to-back in NCAA Season 67, back in 1991. This is their sixth total championship.

Cyrus Cuenco top-scored for the new champions with 19 points in 31 minutes off the bench. Clint Escamis finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals in 23 minutes, while Lawrence Mangubat had 17.

Mapua led by two, 53-51, after Benilde captain Mark Sangco punched in a triple in the third quarter.

However, the Cardinals broke the game wide open, taking a 12-point lead, 66-54, thanks to the hot hands of Cuenco and Mangubat.

The double-digit advantage was held onto by Mapua until the final buzzer, leading by as much as 16 points, 82-66, after an Escamis triple that plunged the dagger into the Blazers' hearts. 

The lead fell to just 10, 74-84, with 1:30 remaining after a split from the line by Tony Ynot, but it was the nearest the Blazers got to.

Benilde had several chances to inch closer, but missed free throws by newly crowned Most Valuable Player Allen Liwag and Justine Sanchez were just too costly.

Newly minted Rookie of the Year Chris Hubilla finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Mapua. Recto had nine, while Igliane had eight.

Sanchez saw his career-high 24 points go down the drain. He also hauled down nine boards and dished out five steals, while stealing the ball three times.

Ynot had 17, while Liwag finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cardinals had a sluggish start, falling behind 7-0 to start the game.

However, Mapua erupted in the next minutes, going up by eight, 45-37, at the half.

The Blazers tried to keep in step with the Cardinals, and made it more interesting in the third quarter, before the outbursts of Cuenco, Mangubat and Hubilla turned the contest into a one-sided affair.

In last season’s finals, Mapua won Game 1 but lost two straight against the San Beda Red Lions.

This time around, it is safe to say that the bitter taste of that defeat is now fully out of their mouths.

This is the first time since 2010 that a school not named San Beda or Letran won the championship.