MANILA — Mapua University is now officially back in the Final Four.

The Cardinals punched their postseason ticket after defeating the streaking University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 69-53, at the NCAA Season 99 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Wednesday afternoon at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

It was a normal day in the office for MVP frontrunner Clint Escamis as he tallied 17 points, six steals, four rebounds, four assists, and a block, while Warren Bonifacio and Jopet Soriano scored 11 and 10, respectively.

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After a relatively close encounter in the first half, Mapua, who scored 29 points after the first 20 minutes of action, burst for 27 markers in the third frame, while also limiting the Altas to 15 points, 11 of which came from Art Roque.

The Intramuros-based squad banked on this momentum and led by as much as 22 in the final quarter, 62-40, in turn, halting Perpetual’s win streak to four.

Roque finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Chris Pagaran and John Abis contributed nine and seven, respectively, but it was not enough as they fell to 8-8 in the standings.

This victory propelled the Cardinals to 13-3, allowing them to become the first team to lock a spot in the Final Four.

This is miles ahead of their Season 98 performance wherein after reaching the Finals in Season 97, they only ended up with a 7-11 record last year.

Meanwhile, the Las Pinas-based squad fell to 8-8 and are now in danger of missing the postseason.

The scores:

Mapua 69- Escamis 17, Bonifacio 11, Soriano 10, Cuenco 8, Dalisay 6, Recto 4, Rosillo 4, Morenos 4, Hernandez 3, Igliane 2, Asuncion 0, Bancale 0, Sabsalon 0

UPHSD 53- Roque 13, Pagaran 9, Abis 7, Nitura 6, Razon 6, Gelsano 4, Omega 3, Barcuma 3, Ferreras 2, Nunez 0, Boral 0, Cuevas 0

Quarterscores: 11-8; 29-21; 56-36; 69-53