Cards try to firm up hold of No. 4

MANILA, Philippines - Mapua tries to solidify its place at fourth as it squares off with a struggling Emilio Aguinaldo side today in the 86th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Cardinals came back from a double-digit deficit to pull the rug from the Letran Knights, 63-60, last Aug. 25 to notch their sixth win against four losses.

They stood two games ahead of the fifth-running Arellano Chiefs, who tote a 4-6 (win-loss) record.

The Muralla-based cagers are heavily fancied over the Generals (2-9) in the 4 p.m. duel.

Mapua coach Chito Victolero, whose wards routed the Generals, 82-68, in the first round last Aug. 2, said they need to play aggressive to repeat over EAC.

“We can’t afford to start that bad again, we need to play aggressive from start to finish,” said Victolero.

The Chiefs and the St. Benilde Blazers (3-8), meanwhile, clash at 2 p.m. with both teams hoping for an EAC win over Mapua.

The Blazers are coming off a 83-64 victory over the Generals last Monday while seeking a repeat of their 70-64 triumph over the Chiefs in their first round meeting last July 5.

“This would make or break our Final Four bid,” said Arellano coach Leo Isaac.

“This would be crucial for both teams so expect us to go all out for a win,” said CSB mentor Richard del Rosario said.