MANILA — Even after Warren Bonifacio fouled in the payoff period during their match against College of St. Benilde, Mapua University was able to hold the fort en route to their victory.

Bonifacio posted six points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal before leaving the game with still 2:03 remaining, but head coach Randy Alcantara was appreciative of his reserves and how they stepped up in their big man’s absence.

“Lagi naman namin [pine-prepare] ng coaches na i-ready lahat,” he said during post-game. “Siyempre, si Bonifacio, andyan na talaga yan. Pero siyempre ang pinaka nandyan yung second unit, yung mga cadets, yun ang tinrabaho namin talaga nung off-season.”

“Kailangan yung second, third unit ready palagi kasi ‘di naman kakayanin ni Boni buong game at ng buong season. May mga instances talagang ganon ang mangyayari.”

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Over that span, Jopet Soriano contributed two crucial free-throw conversions to allow them to reclaim a 68-66 lead, and he and their other big men also ganged up to fill the gap that the Magnolia Hotshots draftee left in the contest.

“Kaya sila Jopet Soriano, even [Resty] Fornis, and of course, si [JC] Recto, vital yung mga possessions namin dahil sa kanila,” Alcantara added.

All in all, Mapua’s bench poured in 49 of their 75 total points, 15 more than CSB’s 34 bench points, and this allowed them to tally their third win in four games.

They will look to post their fifth win when they face Emilio Aguinaldo College on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 10 AM