Cebuano guard Darrell Shane Menina stepped up to the plate in the absence of several key players as he helped the Mapua Cardinals win their third straight game with a 76-64 beating of the St. Benilde Blazers in the 91st NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Friday at the Arena in San Juan City.
Menina, a former star over at the University of Cebu (UC), scored 13 markers to ably support Allwell Oraeme, who led the squad with 19 points and 20 rebounds.
The Cardinals now sit in the middle of the pack with a 4-3 win-loss card.
The Cardinals survived in spite of the injuries suffered by CJ Isit, who apparently injured his arm and Josan Nimes, who got sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Mapua raced off to a 29-7 first-period lead and never looked back.
But while one Cebuano shone, another failed to deliver as Letran big man Jomari Sollano was held down to just six points as the Knights lost for the first time this season, 69-83, to the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals.
Cameroonian import Laminou Hamadou scored 20 points and grabbed 24 rebounds, while Jorem Morada had 12 of his 18 points in the final frame to help the Generals win their second straight game.
Letran, on the other hand, still stand atop the standings at 7-1, a half-game ahead of the five-time defending champions San Beda Red Lions.
THE SCORES
Mapua (76) – Oraeme 19, Menina 13, Nimes 11, Aguirre 7, Isit 6, Raflores 6, Biteng 4, Que 3, Nieles 3, Villasenor 2, Brana 2, Serrano 0, Layug 0, Dela Rosa 0.
CSB (64) – J. Domingo 14, Grey 14, Nayve 12, Fajarito 10, San Juan 6, Ongteco 4, Jonson 2, Deles 2, S. Domingo 0, Sta. Maria 0, Castor 0, Saavedra 0, Flores 0, Young 0.
Quarter scores: 29-7; 47-27; 67-38; 76-64. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
