#FilOil2019: La Salle fends off bruising Mapua to return to winning form

SAN JUAN -- De La Salle Univiersity bounced back quickly

from Sunday's loss to UP, taking down a gritty Mapua in an attritional encounter, 68-61 to cap off the triple-headers of the seniors division of the FilOil Flying V Preseason Cup Tuesday evening at the FilOil Flying V Centre.

Gian Nazario's Green Archers only had two days' rest and recovery to take on the Cardinals, whose bruising game got them into a scuffle in their opener aganst CEU, but kept their cool heads down the stretch to move up to 2-1 for a share of second with the Fighting Maroons.

Encho Serrano paced La Salle with 15 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, with Andrei Caracut following him with 11 markers.

The close encounter was evident with seven deadlocks and five lead changes, but it was only until late in the game that La Salle was able to pull away.

It was Mapua who came of from  the gates early in the game, leading the by as much as nine before La Salle cut two-thirds of it at the endof the first ten minutes.

Furious rallies highlighted the second, where the Green Archers' 10-0 run to take seven point lead was responded by the Cardinals' 8 unanswered to come to within a point at the half.

However, La Salle got their second wind in the third, with Caracut's freebies broke the deadlock for the final time at 41-all for the Green Archers to take a four-point cushion.

Justine Baltazar's hook shot gave the Green Archers a nine-point lead, 64-55 in the fourth to put the game away, as Mapua crumbled with their indiscipline as two unsportsmanlike fouls late in the game killed their chances of an upset.

Laurenz Victoria had  14 for the Cardinals who fell down further at the bottom with their third straight defeat.

The scores:

La Salle 68 -- Serrano 15, Caracut 11, Baltazar 9, Cu 6, Lojera 6, Lim 5, Bartlett 4, Melecio 4, Manaytay 4, Manuel 2, Escandor 2, David 0, Bates 0, Bonggay 0

Mapua 61 -- Victoria 14, Serrano 10, Bunag 8, Aguirre 7, Pido 6, Lugo 5, Bonifacio 4, Gamboa 4, Garcia 3, Hernandez 0, Jabel 0

Quarter scores: 12-15, 31-30, 56-52, 68-61

(photo: Encho Serrano looks for options as he was guarded by Laurenz Victoria. FilOil FlyingV Sports)