Cardinals start strong, rip Altas

MANILA, Philippines - Mapua, a team which hit its stride a little too late last season, made it sure to make a big start in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament, blasting Perpetual Help, 79-65, in a fight-marred game at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The Cardinals rode the momentum of a runner-up finish in the recent Fr. Martin’s Cup, making an auspicious start in the NCAA tourney like the San Beda Red Lions and the San Sebastian Stags on opening day.

“We learned our lesson from last year and I kept reminding the boys to be consistent from start to finish,” said Mapua coach Chito Victolero, recalling their struggling start last campaign.

Mark Acosta, Erwin Cornejo, Rodel Ranises and Jason Pascual all scored in double figures for the Mapua team picking up from where it left off last year.

The Muralla-based team won all its last five games last season but still missed the Final Four due to a poor start.

With lessons learned from their bitter campaign last year, the Cardinals played with grit and spunk in a physical match with the Altas marred by a bench-clearing incident in the fourth quarter.

Mapua’s Andretti Stevens and Perpetual’s Arnold Danganan figured in a collision that nearly turned to a full-blown riot.

Cardinals Ray Cabrera and Narr Garay were thrown out of the game while teammates Pascual and Micahel Parala and Altas Danganan, Chrisper Elopre and Mark Sumera were assessed technical fouls.

Danganan, a transferee from STI, led all scorers with 23 points but the Altas could only keep in step with the Cardinals in the first 20 minutes of play.

In the other game, Arellano U built an early lead that it held onto until the end as it repulsed Emilio Aguinaldo College, 82-72, to forge a four-way logjam on top.

Adrian Celada fired a game-high 22 points but it was pint-sized Leonard Anquilo who lit the 7-0 blitz in the stretch that quashed a big fightback by the Generals.