Bonifacio leads Cards to win No. 3

MANILA, Philippines — Warren Bonifacio delivered one of his best performances to date to give Mapua a 65-59 victory over San Sebastian and a share of the lead with powerhouses Letran and San Beda in the 97th NCAA basketball tournament at the La Salle Greenhills Gym yesterday.

Bonifacio banged his way to his season-highs 16 points and 14 rebounds and topped it with a steal and a block to power the Cardinals to their third straight win alongside the Knights and the Lions.

The San Simon, Pampanga native was unstoppable inside as he made eight of 12 shots he took, mostly coming during the key runs bridging the middle quarters that turned things around in Mapua’s favor.

“We just played good defense and we communicated well,” said Bonifacio, who was also instrumental in his team’s 73-67 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College and a 59-56 triumph over Jose Rizal University.

Brian Lacap chipped in 14 points while Paolo Hernandez scattered 12, including a booming three-pointer that doused cold water on the Stags’ late rally.

It was another impressive performance for the Mapua team that didn’t get much pre-season hype compared to the heavily favored Letran, the defending champion, and San Beda, the runner-up three years ago.

“Honestly, we didn’t expect to start 3-0,” said Mapua coach Randy Alcantara. “But the players have been working hard and doing what they’re told to do. They’re also fearless and play strong in the endgame.”

Mapua will go for more when it meets Letran on Friday.

“They’re stronger, bigger and taller than us but we’ll try to find ways to beat them in other aspects,” said Alcantara.

The Stags fell to 1-2.

In the other game, College of St. Benilde fended off Emilio Aguinaldo College’s repeated fightbacks and hacked out a 78-68 win to stay in the Magic Four with a 3-1 slate.The Generals dropped to 1-3.