Cards want piece of lead

Mapua tries to get back at Jose Rizal and join Letran at the helm while defending champion San Sebastian College eyes a third straight victory against Philippine Christian U in a bid to stay within striking distance of the leaders at resumption of the 79th NCAA basketball tournament today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Cardinals are coming off a week-long rest after thumping the Knights, 77-67, and are raring to avenge their harrowing 77-91 loss to the Bombers last July 2 in the main game at 4 p.m.

At second spot behind the Knights (7-3) with a 6-3 record, the Cardinals are slightly favored over the Bombers although the latter are expected to go flat out to frustrate the former and enhance its own bid for the Final Four race.

Jose Rizal is bunched in third place with San Sebastian and San Beda with identical 6-4 cards.

But unlike the Bombers, the Stags, who routed the Red Lions, 83-75, and survived the St. Benilde Blazers, 73-70, last week, have a lighter assignment in the Dolphins, who are on the brink of elimination along with Perpetual Help with identical 3-7 slates. St. Benilde is virtually out of it all with a 3-8 mark.

Against the Bombers, the Cardinals will have to shackle the prolific Marco Fajardo, who exploded with 35 points in powering Jose Rizal to an 88-79 victory over PCU last Friday.

"It will all boil down to how we play defense," said Mapua coach Horacio Lim.

The Stags, on the other hand, are expected to lean anew on Clark Moore, the 6-foot-7 Fil-Am find who churned out a couple of 16-point outputs in the last two games.

"This is just a sample of what he can do and I believe he is going to improve as the Final Four approaches," said SSC coach Arturo Valenzona.