By CARLO ANOLIN
Miguel Corteza and Miguel Oczon formed a deadly 1-2 punch and College of St. Benilde downed Mapua , 73-64, in the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The dynamic duo struck hardest in the third quarter as the Blazers ripped the game wide apart but needed a clutch basket from Corteza before they finally repulsed Mapua’s last-ditch effort for their 6th win in seven games.
Corteza led all scorers with 17 points and four rebounds, Oczon 14 points built on four triples on top of eight rebounds, and Ladis Lepalam had 10 points and five rebounds.
Mark Sangco hauled eight points and nine rebounds while Will Gozum was relatively quiet after being held to just eight points and five rebounds.
The Cardinals , who dropped to 0-8, were able to crawl back from an 11-point deficit and stayed within striking distance at 53-51.
But Mapua eventually disintegrated after Arvin Gamboa’s exit due to an apparent injury, and that allowed the Blazers to erect a sizable 11-point margin with a 12-2 spurt capped by Oczon’s triple en route to a 62-51 lead.
Adrian Nocum paced the Cardinals with 15 points and seven rebounds while Warren Bonifacio posted 14 points and 11 rebounds. Gamboa also had 11 points and seven rebounds for Mapua.
The scores:
CSB 73 ˗ Corteza 17, Oczon 14, Lepalam 10, Gozum 8, Sangco 8, Nayve 6, Carlos 4, Cullar 3, Pasturan 3, Marcos 0, Flores 0.
MAPUA 64 ˗ Nocum 15, Bonifacio 14, Gamboa 11, Salenga 7, Lacap 6, Pido 5, Garcia 4, Hernandez 2, Soriano 0, Agustin 0, Parinas 0.
Quarters: 18-11, 29-29, 53-42, 73-64.
